Abstract
Sixty-two office workers in a Swiss federal department were randomly assigned to a training and a control group. While the training group was instructed to complete 3 stochastic resonance whole-body vibration (SR-WBV) exercises every week for 4 weeks, the control group received no treatment. During this time all participants answered a daily questionnaire concerning their surefootedness, sense of balance, musculoskeletal well-being, and muscle relaxation. Before and after the 4-week SR-WBV intervention, balance was tested with a single-leg stance on a foam mat of the Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) using a SwayStar™-System measuring Total Angle Area (TotAngArea) and Total Velocity Area (TotVelArea). Multilevel results highlighted a significant increase over time for surefootedness and sense of balance (t = 2.491, p = .016), as well as for musculoskeletal well-being and muscle relaxation (t = 2.538, p = .014) in the training group but not in the control group. Balance tests showed improvement of balance in the training group (TotAngArea: Z = 2.550, p = .011; TotVelArea: Z = 3.334, p = .001) but not in the control group. SR-WBV exercise indicated a high compliance during this study (3.87±0.45 trainings per week) underlining its benefits for the working context. Especially office workers who spend most of their time in sitting position could profit from SR-WBV exercise to improve balance and reduce the risk of falls.
Highlights
Every fourth accident in Switzerland is due to a slip, trip, and fall (STF) incident [1]
Similar to del Pozo-Cruz et al [20] who stated that previous studies have reported similar results for the dominant and nondominant legs we focused on the dominant leg due to cost-considerations
Values of surefootedness and sense of balance were significantly higher in the control group than in the training group at day 1
Summary
Every fourth accident in Switzerland is due to a slip, trip, and fall (STF) incident [1]. STF are the most frequent accidents among office workers [2]. A 6-year longitudinal study about accidents in hospitals has shown that office workers and nurses have the most frequent STF incidents [3]. On the one hand risk factors for STF of external origin are wet surfaces, poor lighting, lack of or inadequate handrails, and use of lifting aids [4]. Individual STF risk factors on the other hand are alcohol, smoking, inactivity, sleep disorders, and request for a job change [5]. Additional individual risk factors for STF are sex and age, whereas falls are more frequent in females and older individuals [6].
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