Abstract
Background: Spinal load and muscle activity in occupation settings is an area of increasing concern. Regarding technological advancements, in diverse occupations the spinal loads have increased through constrained seated postures. Back belts are consequently used in prophylactic and conservative management of occupational low back pain (LBP) in two distinct settings, prevention in industry, and treatment in LBP management. Industrial sites utilize belts for LBPprophylaxis on a large scale with their design and user experience (UE) influencing both the effectiveness and the workers’ compliance. This pilot study aims at determining the effectiveness of the new Tehran Back Belt (TBB) and assesses both UE and biomechanical effect (BE) on para-spinal muscle activity in healthy subjects. Methods: A pretest-posttest study. Stage-1, design and fabrication of the TBB. Stage-2, the UE of the designed belt evaluated in healthy volunteers (n=30) via a checklist. The BE was determined from the level of lumbar extensor and trunk flexor muscle activity gauged during two test conditions of sitting posture (with and without belt) over 35-minute periods. Results: Most subjects (>90%) reported high ‘ease of use’ and ‘comfort’ while wearing the TBB.The BE statistical analysis showed significantly reduced EMG activity levels for the longissimus(P = 0.012, η2=0.24), rectus abdominis (P=0.024, η2=0.18) and internal oblique (P=0.001,η2=0.44) muscles in belt-use conditions. Conclusion: Decreased muscle activity while using the TBB is potentially advantageous for workers as spinal muscle activity is significantly reduced. Further investigations for longer duration effects and during real work office-based activities are warranted.
Highlights
The suggested mechanism effects are increased intra-abdominal pressure, enhanced torso muscle support and decreased spine and torso mobility.[22,23,24]. Both reduced muscle fatigue and reduced compressive loading may result in a decrease of the risk for low back pain (LBP).[22,23]. Another indication of back belt effectiveness can be maintaining the lumbar lordosis during the sitting posture and related reductions in spine muscle activity which appear neglected in most recent research.[23,25]
Results showed that activity of longissimus, rectus abdominis, and internal oblique muscles was significantly lower during belt use (P < 0.05) (Figure 3)
For the External oblique muscle, lower activity was present during belt use but this was not statistically significant (P = 0.087)
Summary
Numerous risk factors contribute to the causes of LBP including provocative and prolonged sitting postures.[9,10,11] In recent decades, owing to technology advancements, numerous jobs and occupations are increasingly performed in constrained seated postures.[12] Various sitting postures attempt to accommodate the demands and include: flat, slump, long and short lordosis.[13] Biomechanical studies have noted that muscular activity is lowest in the flat position and respectively augmented in the remaining three positions.[14] intradiscal pressure (IDP) varies with posture and position It is reported as lowest in supine positions, intensifying in standing and at a maximum level in sitting. Industrial sites utilize belts for LBP prophylaxis on a large scale with their design and user experience (UE) influencing both the effectiveness and the workers’ compliance This pilot study aims at determining the effectiveness of the new Tehran Back Belt (TBB) and assesses both UE and biomechanical effect (BE) on paraspinal muscle activity in healthy subjects. Further investigations for longer duration effects and during real work office-based activities are warranted
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