Cumulative loading of the lumbar spine during non-occupational activities.

The purpose of the study is to document peak and cumulative estimates on the lumbar spine in the laboratory setting as well as cumulative loading estimates on the lumbar spine in a field setting. Further, this study was also designed to compare video methods and electromyography methods of estimating cumulative compression on the lumbar spine. The variables measured in the laboratory study include both peak and cumulative estimates of compression, reaction shear, joint shear and moment, while the field study measured only cumulative estimates of these variables. The majority of tasks in both the lab and field portion of the study required the subjects to handle loads less then 10 kg. Further, peak estimates of lumbar compression reported in the literature for industrial tasks still display higher loading profiles. This gives the impression that household activities are less physically challenging than industrial tasks. This assumption is misleading as only a small number of tasks and subjects have been studied outside the industrial setting thus far. The spine is loaded in a number of ways during the day and further analysis with a greater variety of asymmetric tasks will undoubtedly yield greater loading estimates for non-occupational activities. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2002 .L38. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 41-04, page: 1099. Adviser: David Andrews. Thesis (M.H.K.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2002