| 1. |
- Bergmann, Annekatrin, et al.
(författare)
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Do occupational risks for low back pain differ from risks for specific lumbar disc diseases? : Results of the German Lumbar Spine Study (EPILIFT)
- 2017
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Ingår i: Spine. - 0362-2436 .- 1528-1159. ; 42:20, s. E1204-E1211
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Study design: A multicenter, population based, case-control study.Objective: The aim of the present analysis is to clarify potential differences in the "occupational risk profiles" of structural lumbar disc diseases on the one hand, and low back pain (LBP) on the other hand.Summary of background data: Physical workplace factors seem to play an important etiological role.Methods: We recruited 901 patients with structural lumbar disc diseases (disc herniation or severe disc space narrowing) and 233 control subjects with "low-back-pain." Both groups were compared with 422 "low-back pain free" control subjects. Case history, pain data, neurological deficits, and movement restrictions were documented. LBP was recorded by the Nordic questionnaire on musculoskeletal symptoms. All magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, and X-rays were inspected by an independent study radiologist. The calculation of cumulative physical workload was based on a computer-assisted interview and a biomechanical analysis by 3-D-dynamic simulation tool. Occupational exposures were documented for the whole working life.Results: We found a positive dose-response relationship between cumulative lumbar load and LBP among men, but not among women. Physical occupational risks for structural lumbar disc diseases [odds ratio (OR) 3.7; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 2.3-6.0] are higher than for LBP (OR 1.9; 95% CI 1.0-3.5).Conclusion: Our finding points to potentially different etiological pathways in the heterogeneous disease group of LBP. Results suggest that not all of the structural disc damage arising from physical workload leads to LBP.
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| 2. |
- Freitag, Sonja, 1968-, et al.
(författare)
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Messtechnische Analyse von belastenden Körperhaltungen bei Pflegekräften : eine geriatrische Station im Vergleich mit anderen Krankenhausstationen
- 2007
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Ingår i: ErgoMed. - 0170-2327. ; 31, s. 130-140
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Employees in nursing professions are at increased risk of developing musculoskeletal symptoms of the back. The level of physical stress for the nurse may depend on the type of patient. Nurses who mostly care for older people of restricted mobility are exposed to particularly high physical stress, one reason being that they must transport heavy loads when transferring patients. In addition, static physical postures and frequent bending and rotation of the upper body have been discussed in the literature as possible risk factors. In the present study, the personal CUELA measurement system was used to measure all adopted trunk postures and the movements of a qualified geriatric nurse on a geriatric ward over the course of three successive early shifts, in order to quantify the occurrence of awkward postures. The measurement results from this ward were compared with those from other hospital wards (for surgery and internal medicine). The nurse on the geriatric ward adopted an inclination of the upper body of greater than 20 degrees for an average of 1,390 times per shift. This was 25% greater than the value found for the volunteers in the wards for surgery and internal medicine (1,116 times). In the geriatric ward, almost 70% of the major inclinations of the trunk (above 60 degrees) were linked to work at the patient's bed, in comparison to 42% in the other wards. The results of these measurements suggest, for example, that consistent adjustment of the height of the bed could reduce the frequency and extent of major inclination of the trunk. Reduction in the physical stress from awkward postures can help to protect the health of employees in nursing professions.
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| 3. |
- Freitag, Sonja, 1968-, et al.
(författare)
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Quantitative Measurement of Stressful Trunk Postures in Nursing Professions
- 2007
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Ingår i: Annals of Occupational Hygiene. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0003-4878 .- 1475-3162. ; 51:4, s. 385-395
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- INTRODUCTION:The evaluation of stress to the spinal column in the provision of care has mostly concentrated on the handling of loads. However, awkward body postures alone, without load transfer, can also be stressful for the spinal column. Therefore in this study all the body postures and movements of nurses were quantitatively measured within a working shift.METHODS:The body postures were recorded with the CUELA measurement system (computer-assisted recording and long-term analysis of musculoskeletal loads), coupled to the individual, and this detected all movements of the trunk and the legs. These measurements were supported by video recordings, so that exact allocation of the measured data to the tasks performed was possible. In all, 24 shift measurements were carried out in 8 wards. Extent, frequency and duration of trunk postures were measured in three planes and assessed on the basis of several standards (DIN EN 1005-1, DIN EN 1005-4, ISO 11226).RESULTS:A mean of 1131 (+/-377) trunk inclinations of >20 degrees were performed in each shift. This corresponds to a frequency of 3.5 min(-1). A total of 237 of these inclinations lasted for >4 s. A total of 72 (+/-35) min was spent bending forward with an inclination of >20 degrees . However, the mean time spent in transferring patients (counting only the lifting process) and heavy materials was only 2 min per shift. Postures with trunk inclination of >60 degrees were adopted for a mean of 175 (+/-133) times. The main tasks responsible for this were 'bed making' (21%), 'basic care' (16%) and 'clearing up/cleaning' (16%).CONCLUSIONS:It could be shown that many stressful trunk postures are assumed in nursing work during a shift. Future preventive measures should therefore consider not only load handling but also tasks with awkward postures.
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| 4. |
- Holtermann, Andreas, et al.
(författare)
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Assessing sedentary behaviour at work with technical assessment systems
- 2017
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Rapport (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is well documented that spending large amounts of time each day in sedentary behaviour is associated with increased risks of a variety of health impairments. The time engaged in sedentary behaviours is generally high in Europe, and has increased over recent decades during both work and leisure. This has resulted in considerable research and societal attention over the last decade.Sedentary behaviour in the workplace varies between occupations. It is high among office workers, and is likely to be high for job groups with lower education with constrained sittingbased working tasks like long-haul drivers and surveillance work in manufacturing. However, the question of whether spending large amounts of time in occupational sedentary behaviour is a causal risk factor for health impairments remains to be settled.An important reason for this could be the poor validity and reliability of many of the methods used to assess sedentary behaviour such as self-report and interviews. Another reason might be that the sedentary behaviour is often not measured in accordance with its proposed definition "any waking behaviour characterised by a low energy expenditure (≤1.5 METs) while in a sitting or reclining posture". Measurements of sedentary behaviour should therefore capture its two main components, namely posture and energy expenditure.Observational methods are also used to assess sedentary behaviour, but they are costly, time-consuming, and may lead to observational-bias. Measurements using wearable devices ("wearables") are thus recommended due to their objective nature, and their ability to be relatively low cost and to have little impact on the daily life of the participant.Numerous suitable small wearables, with long battery life and high data storage capacity, have become commercially available in recent years. However, none of the commercially available wearables can independently assess occupational sedentary behaviour in accordance with its definition (i.e. a sitting or lying posture with low energy expenditure). Therefore, deciding on how to assess sedentary behaviour is currently not easy.The wide variety of devices with the potential to assess sedentary behaviour is likely to leave practitioners and researchers wondering - "How can I choose the measurement system bestsuited to my aim, preferences, funding, and skills?" However, no practically useful guidance for researchers and practitioners exists on how to assess occupational sedentary behaviour.This report provides an overview of relevant technical systems and their general capabilities and gives examples of their appropriate use when assessing occupational sedentary behaviour. The report emphasises factors such as the target population, the need for accuracy, data accessibility, wearing comfort, expert knowledge for analyses, assessment duration, the number of participants needed, budget available, and the need for information on time patterns of sedentary and non-sedentary behaviour, including moderate and vigorous physical activity. Importantly, the need for assessing body posture, energy expenditure, or both, should be critically evaluated based on the work tasks undertaken by the target population and the aim of the project.The report highlights needs for developing of cheap, feasible wearables combining precise posture and energy assessments for a valid and reliable assessment of sedentary behaviour at work, which fulfils the current needs of both researchers and practitioners alike.
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| 5. |
- Schiefer, Christoph, et al.
(författare)
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PEPPA - Exchange Platform for Measurements of Occupational Physical Activity and Physical Workload
- 2021
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 21st Congress of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA 2021). Volume V: Methods & Approaches. - Cham, Schweiz : Springer. - 9783030746131 ; , s. 175-182
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Technical measurements allow an objective assessment of MSD riskfactors at work. There is a need for common standards regarding data collection and processing, as well as an exchange platform storing measurement data of occupational physical activity and workload for further analysis. Several research institutes started a feasibility study towork on developing standards for assessment of risk factors and implement them in an exchange platform prototype. The first prototype already demonstrates a technical feasibility. Coordination and structure of the contents, as well as estimates of costs and efforts needed for further development need more examination in order to arrive at a final platform with good feasibility.
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| 6. |
- Schiefer, Christoph, et al.
(författare)
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PEPPA - Exchange Platform for Measurements of Occupational Physical Activity and Physical Workload
- 2022
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 21st Congress of the International Ergonomics Association, IEA 2021 : Methods and Approaches - Methods and Approaches. - Cham : Springer International Publishing. - 2367-3389 .- 2367-3370. - 9783030746131 ; 223 LNNS, s. 175-182, s. 175-182
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Technical measurements allow an objective assessment of MSD risk factors at work. There is a need for common standards regarding data collection and processing, as well as an exchange platform storing measurement data of occupational physical activity and workload for further analysis. Several research institutes started a feasibility study to work on developing standards for assessment of risk factors and implement them in an exchange platform prototype. The first prototype already demonstrates a technical feasibility. Coordination and structure of the contents, as well as estimates of costs and efforts needed for further development need more examination in order to arrive at a final platform with good feasibility.
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| 7. |
- Schumann, Barbara, et al.
(författare)
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Lifestyle factors and lumbar disc disease : results of a German multi-center case-control study (EPILIFT).
- 2010
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Ingår i: Arthritis Research & Therapy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1478-6362. ; 12:5, s. R193-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- INTRODUCTION: In the large-scale case-control study EPILIFT, we investigated the dose-response relationship between lifestyle factors (weight, smoking amount, cumulative duration of different sports activities) and lumbar disc disease.METHODS: In four German study regions (Frankfurt am Main, Freiburg, Halle/Saale, Regensburg), 564 male and female patients with lumbar disc herniation and 351 patients with lumbar disc narrowing (chondrosis) aged 25 to 70 years were prospectively recruited. From the regional population registers, 901 population control subjects were randomly selected. In a structured personal interview, we enquired as to body weight at different ages, body height, cumulative smoking amount and cumulative duration of different sports activities. Confounders were selected according to biological plausibility and to the change-in-estimate criterion. Adjusted, gender-stratified odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated using unconditional logistic regression analysis.RESULTS: The results of this case-control study reveal a positive association between weight and lumbar disc herniation as well as lumbar disc narrowing among men and women. A medium amount of pack-years was associated with lumbar disc herniation and narrowing in men and women. A non-significantly lowered risk of lumbar disc disease was found in men with high levels of cumulative body building and strength training.CONCLUSIONS: According to our multi-center case-control study, body weight might be related to lumbar disc herniation as well as to lumbar disc narrowing. Further research should clarify the potential protective role of body building or strength training on lumbar disc disease.
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