Effect of Load Weight and Starting Height on the Variability of Trunk Kinematics

摘要

Trunk kinematic variables have been used to understand the risk of low back injuries in the workplace.Variability in trunk kinematics has not been explored to the same level. In the current study, it washypothesized that workplace variables (starting height and load weight) would have an impact on thevariability in the kinematic variables describing trunk motion. Ten participants performed a repetitivelifting task under four different conditions representing two levels of load weight and starting height. TheLumbar Motion Monitor was used to capture key trunk kinematic variables from the concentric range oflifting motion. The dominant parameter in this experiment was found to be the starting height of the liftwhich significantly affected the variability of trunk kinematics in sagittal plane. In the transverse planeneither starting height of the load nor the weight of the load were found to influence the variability of trunkkinematics significantly.