Effect of elastic lumbosacral supports on lumbar spine mechanical stresses

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Hackney, Jim

Affiliations: Institute for Athletic Medicine, 100 Central Avenue, Ste. 3, Osseo, MN, 55369 USA. E-mail: jhackne1@fairview.org

Abstract: Subjects lifted a 6.82 kg weight from the floor to 1.23 meters high using an elastic lumbosacral support worn the conventional way, without a support, and with the support wide side forward. The lifts were analyzed using the "Lift-track" 2 dimensional analysis program, and the results subjected to repeated measures design analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc Bonferroni analysis. This study indicates that use an elastic lumbosacral support is able to influence lifting posture enough to have a significant effect on mechanical stress being placed on the L5-S1 joint in lifting from the floor, if worn with the wide side facing the abdomen. Wearing the support in the conventional manner had no significant effect in reducing the mechanical stress on the lumbar spine.

Keywords: low back pain, mechanical stresses, back braces

DOI: 10.3233/OER-2001-2405

Journal: Occupational Ergonomics, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 251-256, 2001