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Dynamic analysis of forces in the lumbar spine during bag carrying

Gómez, Lessby ; Díaz, Carlos A. ; Orozco, Gustavo A. LU and García, José J. (2018) In International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics 24(4). p.605-613
Abstract

Objective. The intervertebral disc supports axial and shear forces generated during tasks such as lifting and carrying weights. The objective of this study was to determine the forces in the lumbar spine of workers carrying a bag on the head, on the shoulder and on the anterior part of the trunk. Methods. Kinematic measurements were recorded for 10 subjects carrying bags of 10, 20 and 25 kg on each of the three aforementioned positions. A simple dynamic model implemented in a custom program was then developed to determine the lumbar forces using the accelerations and positions obtained from the kinematic analysis. Results. The analyses yielded a maximum compressive force of 2338.4 ± 422 N when a 25-kg bag was carried on the anterior... (More)

Objective. The intervertebral disc supports axial and shear forces generated during tasks such as lifting and carrying weights. The objective of this study was to determine the forces in the lumbar spine of workers carrying a bag on the head, on the shoulder and on the anterior part of the trunk. Methods. Kinematic measurements were recorded for 10 subjects carrying bags of 10, 20 and 25 kg on each of the three aforementioned positions. A simple dynamic model implemented in a custom program was then developed to determine the lumbar forces using the accelerations and positions obtained from the kinematic analysis. Results. The analyses yielded a maximum compressive force of 2338.4 ± 422 N when a 25-kg bag was carried on the anterior part of the trunk. Conclusion. Carrying bags on the anterior part of the trunk generated higher lumbar forces compared to those developed by carrying the bag on the head or on the shoulder. Force levels suggest that this activity represents a moderate risk for the subjects. However, future biomechanical models should be developed to analyze the cumulative effect in the discs when longer periods of time are spent in this activity.

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author
; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
keywords
bag carriage, intervertebral disc, lumbar forces, lumbar spine
in
International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics
volume
24
issue
4
pages
9 pages
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • pmid:28753120
  • scopus:85029441435
ISSN
1080-3548
DOI
10.1080/10803548.2017.1352224
language
English
LU publication?
no
additional info
Funding Information: This work was supported by Colciencias program 245-2010 [contract number 1106-519-29063]. Funding Information: This work was supported by Colciencias program 245-2010 [contract number 1106-519-29063]. The authors appreciate the support of the Universidad del Valle and Universidad Libre-Cali to undertake this study. Thanks are also due to Colciencias for the financial support. Publisher Copyright: © 2017, © 2017 Central Institute for Labour Protection–National Research Institute (CIOP-PIB).
id
27d268c2-d7d1-494c-80ff-e48c748dd661
date added to LUP
2022-06-08 11:52:22
date last changed
2024-04-18 09:01:14
@article{27d268c2-d7d1-494c-80ff-e48c748dd661,
  abstract     = {{<p>Objective. The intervertebral disc supports axial and shear forces generated during tasks such as lifting and carrying weights. The objective of this study was to determine the forces in the lumbar spine of workers carrying a bag on the head, on the shoulder and on the anterior part of the trunk. Methods. Kinematic measurements were recorded for 10 subjects carrying bags of 10, 20 and 25 kg on each of the three aforementioned positions. A simple dynamic model implemented in a custom program was then developed to determine the lumbar forces using the accelerations and positions obtained from the kinematic analysis. Results. The analyses yielded a maximum compressive force of 2338.4 ± 422 N when a 25-kg bag was carried on the anterior part of the trunk. Conclusion. Carrying bags on the anterior part of the trunk generated higher lumbar forces compared to those developed by carrying the bag on the head or on the shoulder. Force levels suggest that this activity represents a moderate risk for the subjects. However, future biomechanical models should be developed to analyze the cumulative effect in the discs when longer periods of time are spent in this activity.</p>}},
  author       = {{Gómez, Lessby and Díaz, Carlos A. and Orozco, Gustavo A. and García, José J.}},
  issn         = {{1080-3548}},
  keywords     = {{bag carriage; intervertebral disc; lumbar forces; lumbar spine}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{10}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{605--613}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics}},
  title        = {{Dynamic analysis of forces in the lumbar spine during bag carrying}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2017.1352224}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/10803548.2017.1352224}},
  volume       = {{24}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}