Trunk Postural Variability and its Association with Perceived Back Load and Pain in Surgical Staff.

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Ergonomics
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Surgical assistants experience significant physical demands, including potential for low-back pain.
• Postural variability is a key factor in load management during physically demanding tasks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between postural variability and perceived back load in surgical assistants.
• To determine if postural variability is associated with a history of low-back pain.

Main Methods:

• Assessed postural variability using standard deviations of lumbar flexion and trunk inclination.
• Correlated variability measures with perceived back load and low-back pain history.

Main Results:

• Lumbar flexion variability negatively correlated with perceived back load during the procedure.
• No association was found between postural variability measures and low-back pain history.

Conclusions:

• Increased lumbar flexion variability may reduce short-term perceived back load for surgical assistants.
• Interventions promoting postural variability could be beneficial for reducing occupational back strain.