Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Back Injuries”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 469 records · Page 26Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Back pain in Australian military helicopter pilots: a preliminary study.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have highlighted the problem of back pain among helicopter pilots, but few have controlled for potential confounding factors in their analyses, or sought to examine the effects of back pain on operational readiness and flying performance. There have been no previous studies of the prevalence of back pain among Australian military pilots. METHODS: The prevalence, risk factors, and consequences of low back pain were assessed in a cross-sectional survey of 200 Australian military helicopter pilots by self-completion questionnaire. RESULTS: Responses were received from 131 (66%) of available pilots. The overall prevalence of reported back pain was 64% (95% CI 56%-72%), with a further 28% of pilots describing back discomfort while flying. More than half the pilots (55%) indicated that back pain had interfered with their concentration while flying, with 16% reporting that they had hurried flying missions because of pain. A minority of pilots (7%) had refused to fly because of back problems. After adjusting for age, education, BMI, posture and numbers of hours flown, multiple logistic regression modelling indicated that a prior history of back injury was the most significant predictor of back pain among rotary wing pilots (OR 2.63, 95% CI 1.11-6.23). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the prevalence of back pain in Australian military helicopter pilots is unacceptably high and may be limiting operational readiness, pilot performance, flying safety, and pilot health. Urgent attention needs to be given to improved ergonomic design in aircraft, and both back pain prevention and back injury rehabilitation programs.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Physician referral to physical therapy in a cohort of workers compensated for low back pain.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This study described the physical therapy referral of workers compensated for back injury; characterized physical therapy by duration and choice of therapeutic techniques; and compared workers who were and were not referred for physical therapy in terms of age, gender, diagnosis, and absence from work. SUBJECT: A cohort of 2,147 subjects were randomly selected from 54,401 workers compensated for back injuries in 1988. METHODS: Each subject was followed for 2 years from date of entry into the study. Data were obtained from the Quebec Worker's Compensation Board computerized files, medical files, and initial reports completed by physical therapists. RESULTS: Of the cohort, 389 subjects (18%) had received physical therapy after referral by their physician. Exercise, heat, ultrasound, back education, manipulation, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation were the most frequently selected treatments. Implementation of physical therapy within 1 month of back injury had a strong protective effect on return to work within 60 days. Female gender and presence of a specific diagnosis were predictors for greater than 60 days' absence. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION: This study demonstrated that physicians request physical therapy services based on certain patient characteristics. Patients who were referred earlier tended to return to work sooner than those who were referred later, which indicates that timing of physical therapy is an important factor in the rehabilitation of workers with low back pain.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed2000

Lifting an unexpectedly heavy object: the effects on low-back loading and balance loss.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates the effects of lifting an unexpectedly heavy object on low-back loading and loss of balance. BACKGROUND: It is often suggested that lifting an unexpectedly heavy object may be a major risk factor for low-back pain. This may lead to an increase in muscle activation, stretch of ligaments and posterior disc, and loss of balance.METHODS. Nine healthy male subjects were asked to pick up and lift a box as quickly as possible. The weight of the box was unexpectedly increased by 5 or 10 kg. Kinematics and force data were recorded throughout the experiment. RESULTS: Lifting of an unexpectedly heavy box led to a decrease in maximum torque of the low back compared to lifting the same box mass with correct expectation. The maximum lumbar angle did not increase compared to the light box condition. Only the threat to balance appeared to be somewhat increased.CONCLUSIONS. The lifting of an unexpectedly heavier box appeared not to lead to an increased balance loss or a clearly increased stress of the structures of the low back, although a burst of abdominal muscle activity was found in one condition. These results do not fully clarify the assumed relation between lifting unexpectedly heavy objects and low-back injury. RelevanceA commonly cited cause of low-back pain is the lifting of an unexpectedly heavy object. A study of the responses to such perturbation is important to an understanding of spine mechanics and the etiology of low-back injury.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Patient handling with and without slings: an analysis of the risk of injury to the lumbar spine.

Health professionals handling patients are known to be at risk of sustaining work related low back injuries. It is not known whether the use of lifting slings reduces the risk of injury to the lumbar spine for patient handlers. This study used kinematic variables and subjective ratings of body part stress and lifter preference as measures of relative risk for three two-person techniques for carrying a patient from one chair to another chair. The techniques used no slings, one and two slings respectively. Twenty-two nurses performed five trials each of the three techniques. Kinematic measures of angular displacement, velocity and acceleration were obtained using the lumbar motion monitor and visual analogue scales were used to obtain measures of body part stress for seven body parts. Angular displacement, velocity and acceleration were significantly greater (p < 0.05) in the frontal, sagittal and transverse planes for the no sling technique compared to techniques using slings. Comparatively small yet significant differences between techniques using slings were recorded for sagittal flexion and rotation. There was no significant difference between one and two sling techniques for other dependent variables. Mean total body stress rating was higher for the no sling technique and all subjects indicated that their first preference was for slings. Although all three measures of risk rated the no sling technique as carrying a higher level of risk than the techniques using slings. No single measure adequately captured all aspects of relative risk. The elimination of manual patient handling is thought to be the best option for the reduction of work related back injuries in patient handlers. Where resources or technology are not yet adequate to provide practical alternatives and where the use of manual technique for a seat to seat task is unavoidable, the use of patient handling slings will reduce the risk.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Working disability due to occupational back pain: three-year follow-up of 2,300 compensated workers in Quebec.

A cohort of 2,342 cases constituting a random sample of all occupational back injuries compensated in Quebec (Canada) during 1981 was observed prospectively for 3 years to study associations between cumulative duration of absence from work and sex, age, site of symptoms (cervical, thoracic, and lumbar), and occupation. Of the cohort members, 227 (9.7%) cumulated 6 months of absence or more. A logistic regression model showed age and site of symptoms to be the two most important risk factors associated with absences of 6 months or more. No association was found with sex or occupation. The results showed discrepancies between measures of frequency distribution of back injuries and duration of absence from work, an important finding in terms of identifying health priorities.

Absenteeism↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Exercise as a treatment for chronic low back pain.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Exercise is a widely prescribed treatment for chronic low back pain, with demonstrated effectiveness for improving function and work. PURPOSE: The goal of this article is to review several key aspects about the safety and efficacy of exercise that may help clinicians understand its utility in treating chronic back pain. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING: A computerized literature search of MEDLINE was conducted using "exercise," "fitness," "back pain," "backache" and "rehabilitation" as search words. Identified abstracts were scanned, and useful articles were acquired for further review. Additional references were acquired through the personal collections of research papers possessed by the authors and by reviewing prior review articles on this subject. These final papers were scrutinized for data relevant to the key aspects about exercise covered in this article. RESULTS: For people with acute, subacute or chronic low back pain, there is no evidence that exercise increases the risk of additional back problems or work disability. To the contrary, current medical literature suggests that exercise has either a neutral effect or may slightly reduce risk of future back injuries. Exercise can be prescribed for patients with chronic low back pain with three distinct goals. The first and most obvious goal is to improve or eliminate impairments in back flexibility and strength, and improve performance of endurance activities. There is a large body of evidence confirming that this goal can be accomplished for a majority of patients with chronic low back pain. The second goal of exercise is to reduce the intensity of back pain. Most studies of exercise have noted overall reduction in back pain intensity that ranges from 10% to 50% after exercise treatment. The third goal of exercise is to reduce back pain-related disability through a process of desensitization of fears and concerns, altering pain attitudes and beliefs and improving affect. The mechanisms through which exercise can accomplish this goal have been the subject of substantial research. CONCLUSIONS: Exercise is safe for individuals with back pain, because it does not increase the risk of future back injuries or work absence. Substantial evidence exists supporting the use of exercise as a therapeutic tool to improve impairments in back flexibility and strength. Most studies have observed improvements in global pain ratings after exercise programs, and many have observed that exercise can lessen the behavioral, cognitive, affect and disability aspects of back pain syndromes.

Exercise Therapy↗
PubMed2005

Safe patient handling.

No, this is not yet another story about the danger of back injuries among nurses and the numbers of nurses forced to leave the bedside due to limitations resulting from a back injury. A new twist has presented itself in the area of ergonomics, "Safe Patient Handling," which offers a solution to the problem rather than just an identification of the burden it presents to the health care industry. The new approach recognizes that patient transfers present clear risk for both the patient and the nurse; and that these risks are costly and could be significantly decreased or eliminated to the benefit of all concerned.

Back Injuries↗
PubMed2001

Clinical risk factors for hamstring muscle strain injury: a prospective study with correlation of injury by magnetic resonance imaging.

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively establish risk factors for hamstring muscle strain injury using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to define the diagnosis of posterior thigh injury. METHOD: In a prospective cohort study using two elite Australian Rules football clubs, the anthropometric characteristics and past clinical history of 114 athletes were recorded. Players were followed throughout the subsequent season, with posterior thigh injuries being documented. Hamstring intramuscular hyperintensity on T2 weighted MRI was required to meet our criteria for a definite hamstring injury. Statistical associations were sought between anthropometric and previous clinical characteristics and hamstring muscle injury. RESULTS: MRI in 32 players showed either hamstring injury (n = 26) or normal scans (n = 6). An association existed between a hamstring injury and each of the following: increasing age, being aboriginal, past history of an injury to the posterior thigh or knee or osteitis pubis (all p<0.05). These factors were still significant when players with a past history of posterior thigh injury (n = 26) were excluded. Previous back injury was associated with a posterior thigh injury that looked normal on MRI scan, but not with an MRI detected hamstring injury. CONCLUSIONS: Hamstring injuries are common in Australian football, and previous posterior thigh injury is a significant risk factor. Other factors, such as increasing age, being of aboriginal descent, or having a past history of knee injury or osteitis pubis, increase the risk of hamstring strain independently of previous posterior thigh injury. However, as the numbers in this study are small, further research is needed before definitive statements can be made.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Pattern of accident distribution in the telecommunications industry.

Examination of the accident records from the telecommunication industry covering some 100 000 engineers over a 12-month period showed that 25% of accidents resulting in more than three days' sick leave gave rise to back injuries. Handling accidents and falls accounted for 65% of three-day-plus accidents; handling accidents alone gave rise to 65% of back injuries. The absolute numbers of accidents have been compared with the total population of engineers to estimate the effects of age or occupation on levels of hazard; certain occupations constituting 33% of the engineers' population suffered 70% of all three-day-plus accidents. Accidents occurred most frequently in the group aged from 31 to 48 years. Other significant factors affecting the occurrence of accidents were time of year and duty experience of the workers.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2004

One-hour lecture/demo produces mastery level back safety transfer skills self-efficacy in randomized comparisons among hospital nurses.

More than 1/3 of back injuries among nurses result from patient transfers. So, a rigorous between-subjects quasi-experimental methodology having broad clinical applicability was developed to evaluate the effects of a one-hour didactic back safety and patient transfer training lecture/demonstration upon 42 recently hired hospital nurses. The design implemented independent random samples including independent control groups, though practical constraints required all 42 to participate in the training. Training effects were assessed for each of three back safety transfer skill self-efficacy measures and their composite total self-efficacy score. Four monthly training sessions, each serving different nurses, achieved significant and substantial impacts on both composite total back safety procedure self-efficacy (where effect sizes ranged from approximately 0.8 to 1.8 standard deviations) and on each individual back safety transfer skill self-efficacy measure. After training, 85% to 100% of the nurses rated their back safety procedure self-efficacy within three points of the maximum composite total of 30 on the self-efficacy scale. Results may help improve nursing services and identify training strategies to reduce healthcare worker back injuries.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2006

Torque and EMG in rotation extension of the torso from pre-rotated and flexed postures.

BACKGROUND: Back injury is a common place in our society. Up to two-thirds of back injuries have been associated with trunk rotation. However, the torque production ability with a rotated spine and electromyographic activity of trunk muscles in such efforts is poorly understood. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to study torque production capacity of variously rotated and flexed trunk and to measure the EMG of selected trunk muscles in these activities. METHODS: Nineteen normal young subjects (7 males and 12 females) were recruited. Subjects were stabilized on a posture-stabilizing platform and were instructed to assume a flexed and right rotated posture (20 degrees , 40 degrees and 60 degrees of rotation and 20 degrees , 40 degrees and 60 degrees of flexion) in a random order. The subjects were asked to exert their maximal voluntary contraction in the asymmetric plane of rotation-extension for a period of 5s. The surface EMG of the external and internal obliques, rectus abdominis, latissimus dorsi, erector spinae at the 10th thoracic and 3rd lumbar vertebral levels was recorded bilaterally along with the torque generated. FINDINGS: Whereas the torque generated was significantly affected by both rotation and extension in both genders (P<0.001), the EMG was independent of rotation but affected by flexion in females only (P<0.01). The torques produced by both genders in each of the nine postures was significantly different from each other (P<0.001). The EMG demonstrated a trend of increase with increasing rotation and flexion. The response surfaces of normalized peak EMG of the right external oblique and internal oblique was somewhat similar, indicating a rotator torque and a stabilizing effect. The left latissimus dorsi and right external oblique provided the rotational torque and the right erector spinae provided the extensor effort. Since the rotation-extension was performed in the plane of asymmetry, the effort required the recruitment of muscles involved in left rotation, stability of rotated spine and an extensor effort. INTERPRETATION: The torque production capacity of the human trunk is posture dependent and declines with increasing rotation. However, with increasing rotation and flexion, the magnitude of EMG increases. This implies that with increasing asymmetry, it requires more muscle effort (thus tissue stress) to generate less torque. Increasing asymmetry tends to weaken the system and may enhance chances of injury.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1985

Biomechanical aspects of lumbar spine injuries in athletes: a review.

One of the areas of the body which is very often injured by athletes is the lower lack, or the lumbar area of the spine. This problem is of some concern to physical educators, athletic therapists, coaches, athletes, and physicians. The type of injury which occurs in the lumbar spine is dependent on the direction, magnitude, and the point of application of the forces to the spine. This part of the body is susceptible to injury due to the large forces which must be supported, which include the body weight and any external weights, as well as the forces due to very high accelerations of the body parts. Since the lumbar spine is the only connecting column between the upper and lower parts of the body, all the forces must be transmitted via these structures. There are two general techniques of calculating the forces on the lumbar spinal structures, a static approach and a dynamic approach. The static approach may be useful to calculate compression and shear forces on the spine in stationary positions as may be seen in weightlifting. However, the dynamics approach should be used to calculate the effects of the various weights and inertial forces on spinal structures. The most common types of lower back injuries found in athletes were: muscle strains, ligament sprains, lumbar vertebral fractures, disc injuries, and neural arch fractures. The most common serious athletic injury to the lower back was found to be neural arch fractures at the pars interarticularis, or the isthmus between the superior and inferior articular processes. These fractures are known as spondylolysis, or defect in the pars interarticularis of one side of the vertebrae; and spondylolisthesis, a bilateral defect in the pars interarticularis, often accompanied by forward displacement of the vertebral body. The sports in which lower back injuries commonly occurred were also examined, and it was determined that gymnastics, weightlifting and football were the sports in which the lower back is at greatest risk. In order to help to reduce, the high incidence of injuries to this area of the body, athletes should attempt to increase the strength of the abdominal muscles, and to maximize the flexibility of the lower back.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

A petroleum company's experience in implementing a comprehensive medical fitness for duty program for professional truck drivers.

Aggregate health risk appraisal data from Chevron Texaco's truck driver workforce revealed that approximately 50% of the truck drivers who completed a health risk appraisal were found to be at risk for a back injury. Lost time records revealed that this population had 65% more lost workdays attributed to cumulative trauma injuries compared with acute trauma injuries. Chevron Texaco addressed the issue by implementing a medical fitness for duty program consisting of three components: physical examination (physical examination mandated by the Department of Transportation and a functional capacity evaluation), education (on safe body mechanics), and physical fitness. After a 1-year development period, the fitness for duty program was implemented for Chevron Texaco's professional truck drivers in North America. In the first year of the program, 109 functional capacity evaluations were completed by trained clinicians, and 88% of candidates were found "able to work without restrictions," whereas 6% were found "able to work with caution." The article describes the program results to date, and also describes the follow-up program for drivers found to be at risk for a back injury.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed2002

Disk degeneration and fast bowling in cricket: an intervention study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between the incidence of lumber disk degeneration and bowling technique after 3 yr of educational intervention. METHODS: Two groups of cricketers from the Western Australian fast-bowling development squads acted as subjects in this longitudinal study. Group 1 comprised 24 fast bowlers, of mean age 13.4 yr at the commencement of the study. They attended at least three of the four yearly testing sessions between 1997 and 2000. A further 17 of mean age (in 1998) of 13.2 yr attended a minimum of two of three yearly testing sessions between 1998 and 2000, and comprised group 2. Players were filmed laterally and from above by two video cameras during each testing session. Specific technique variables that previously had been linked with an increased incidence of lumbar disk abnormalities were measured from the videos. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the lumbar disks of each player were also recorded at approximately the same time. A yearly half-day clinic and six small group coaching sessions spread over the season were held to assist the bowlers develop techniques that had been linked with a reduction in back injuries. RESULTS: Data showed that small group coaching significantly reduced the level of shoulder alignment counter-rotation in young fast bowlers. The incidence and progression of lumbar disk degeneration were also significantly reduced in parallel with this decreased shoulder counter-rotation. CONCLUSION: Technique assessment and modifications through an educational process aimed at reducing mechanical features that have been linked to back injury decreased the incidence and/or progression of lumbar spine disk degeneration.

Adolescent↗