Thesis (doctoral)--Lund University, 1994. / Added t.p. with thesis statement inserted.

Thesis (doctoral)--Lund University, 1994. / Added t.p. with thesis statement inserted.

This research is concerned with exploring the relationship between car driving and musculoskeletal troubles and following on from this investigating methods which could aid the automotive industry in the design and evaluation of car seats. The thesis is divided into two parts. Part I describes the development and results of an epidemiological survey undertaken with data obtained from two sample groups. Study 1 was an interview survey (based on the Nordic Questionnaire) of 600 members of the British public, randomly selected within the strata of age and gender. Study 2 used the same interview, but with two carefully chosen groups of police officers (n=200). The results indicated that car drivers (especially those who drove as part of their job) appeared to be at risk in terms of reported discomfort and sickness absence due to low back trouble. Evidence from this and other studies has also indicated that drivers with the most adjustable driving packages may benefit in terms of both reduced discomfort and reduced sickness absence. This provided the background for the subsequent research in Part II and some impetus for car manufacturers to consider health issues in the design of car workstations. Part II involved a series of three experiments designed to investigate methodologies which could be used by manufacturers to predict car seat discomfort The literature was reviewed to identify suitable predictive techniques which would be robust enough to provide information to the automotive industry in 'real world' situations. The technique of interface pressure measurement had already generated interest in some seat manufacturers and was therefore selected for investigation. As a result of the findings in experiment 1, established guidelines for a comfortable driving posture may need to be modified. The other two experiments were designed to create discomfort in subjects firstly by varying foam hardness and secondly by varying posture. A clear, simple and consistent relationship between interface pressure and discomfort in realistic driving situations was not identified. Future studies using this technique should provide information regarding such factors as gender, the body mass index, anthropometric data, posture and foam hardness due to the confounding nature of these variables.

Back pain is a very common musculoskeletal impairment in most Americans. Average annual occurrence of back pain is reported around 30% of the population and is the most common cause of activity limitation in people younger than 45 years old. Eighty percent of the back pain presents in the lumbar spine. Although this ailment is very prevalent in the American population, there is a lack of empirical evidence supporting the common clinical diagnosis and intervention back pain strategies. The frequency of back pain and the lack of treatment methods were the motivation for this investigation. It is important to better understand spine dynamics during ambulatory tasks of daily activities to identify possible biomechanical mechanisms underlying back pain. Current biomechanical quantification methods for spine dynamics are either too invasive or not detailed enough to fully comprehend detailed spinal movement. Therefore, a non-invasive but detailed procedure to calculate spine dynamics was developed and tested. In this study, multi-segmented spine dynamics (kinematics and kinetics) were calculated during four activities of daily living (level walking (W), obstacle crossing (OC), stair ascent (SA) and stair descent (SD)). Our findings suggested an in-vivo multi-segmented spine surface marker set is able to detect different and repeatable motion patterns during walking among various spinal segments. The sacrum to lower lumbar (SLL) joint had the largest range of motion (ROM) when compared to the other more superior joints (lower lumbar to upper lumbar and upper lumbar to lower thoracic). Furthermore, SA task demonstrated more flexion ROM than both W and SD tasks. In addition to task influence, joints at different spine levels also demonstrated different ROMs, where SLL had a greater ROM than upper lumbar to lower thoracic (ULLT) in the transverse plane. Age was found to not significantly affect the segmental spinal ROM or peak angles. The vertical segmental joint reaction forces were different between tasks, where SD yielded larger vertical reaction forces than W. Overall, findings from this dissertation work were able to show that a multi-segment spine marker system could be an effective tool in determining different spinal dynamics during various activities of daily living. This dissertation includes unpublished co-authored material.

Orientador: Adriano Dias / Resumo: As adaptações musculoesqueléticas gestacionais geram desconfortos musculoesqueléticos como dor lombar. A literatura aponta diversos fatores associados com a ocorrência da mesma, dentre eles: alterações biomecânicas compensatórias. Objetivo: Realizar análise biomecânica dos membros inferiores e coluna lombar de gestantes e observar se há associação das variáveis biomecânicas analisadas com ocorrência de dor lombar em gestantes. Método: Estudo de coorte prospectivo que realizou três avaliações entre a 25ª e 35ª semana gestacional, no Ambulatório de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia no Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu/UNESP. Foram avaliadas gestantes com e sem dor lombar durante a gestação, através de ficha de avaliação fisioterapêutica, avaliação postural pela biofotogrametria computadorizada, e avaliação de arco plantar pela plataforma de força. Resultados: Das 111 gestantes, 67 apresentaram dor lombar, e 44 não. Foram encontradas associações significativas entre dor lombar e dor lombar em gestação anterior (OR 6,14 E IC95% 1,58-23,84) no momento 1, ângulo horizontal da pélvis (OR 1,30 e IC95% 1,03-1,64) e assimetria do centro de gravidade (OR 1,08 e IC95% 1,00-1,16) no momento 2 e paridade (OR 2,23 e IC95% 1,03-4,82) no momento 3. Discussão: A dor lombar na gestação está associada a antecedentes obstétricos e adaptações biomecânicas. Conclusão: A dor lombar está fortemente associada ao aumento de paridade, dor lombar em gestação anterior, aumento de ângulo h... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Mestre

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:22:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2011-06-07Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:28:12Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 nascimento_prc_me_prud.pdf: 2117913 bytes, checksum: 76ca018a3d60c5ded0fc7231909206b0 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / A lombalgia é uma afecção de alta incidência que gera grandes custos ao sistema de saúde. Indivíduos que experimentam um quadro álgico agudo na região lombar geralmente têm um bom prognóstico com recessão dos sintomas em algumas semanas, porém, uma parte das manifestações torna-se crônica e em sua grande maioria não apresentam uma causa, sendo assim denominada, lombalgia crônica não específica (LCNE). Entretanto, alguns relatos mostraram que fatores psicossociais estão fortemente ligados na manutenção ou regressão dos sintomas. Como alguns pacientes apresentam resposta positiva ao tratamento e outros não manifestam melhora, nos é permitido pensar que há outros fatores condicionantes da manifestação que precisam ser levantados. Através deste estudo buscamos averiguar a existência de uma associação entre a formação de um vínculo positivo entre paciente e terapeuta avaliada através do inventário de aliança terapêutica (IAT) e o recrutamento adequado dos músculos abdominais profundos. Participaram deste estudo 13 indivíduos com LCNE, estes sujeitos foram envolvidos em um programa de tratamento englobando exercícios de controle motor com oito semanas de duração. Ao final do estudo as variáveis de interesse foram analisadas revelando a existência de uma tendência na melhora do recrutamento do músculo transverso abdominal (TrA) quando há o estabelecimento de... / The low back pain is a high incidence condition which has enormous economic costs to the health system. Subjects who experience an acute painful episode in the lumbar region generally have a good prognosis with recession of symptoms in a few weeks, but some of these events become chronics and mostly do not have a cause, being so named, non-specific chronic low back pain (NS-CLBP). However, some reports have showed that psychosocial factors are strongly connected with the maintenance or regression of the symptoms. As some patient present positive response to treatment and others not show get better we can think that there are others factors conditioning of the manifestation which need to be raised. In this study we sought to determine the existence of an association between a formation of the positive bond between patient and therapist assessed by the working alliance inventory (WAI) with adequate recruitment of the deep abdominal muscles. Thirteen individual with NS-CLP participated of this study, these subjects were involved in a treatment program that included motor control exercise with 8 weeks of duration. After the study, the variables of interest were analyzed revealing the existence of trend for improve recruitment of the transversus abdominis muscle (TrA) when there is development... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Orientador: Rúben de Faria Negrão Filho / Banca: Fabio Micolis de Azevedo / Banca: Leonardo Oliveira Pena Costa / Banca: Maria Rita Masselli / Resumo: A lombalgia é uma afecção de alta incidência que gera grandes custos ao sistema de saúde. Indivíduos que experimentam um quadro álgico agudo na região lombar geralmente têm um bom prognóstico com recessão dos sintomas em algumas semanas, porém, uma parte das manifestações torna-se crônica e em sua grande maioria não apresentam uma causa, sendo assim denominada, lombalgia crônica não específica (LCNE). Entretanto, alguns relatos mostraram que fatores psicossociais estão fortemente ligados na manutenção ou regressão dos sintomas. Como alguns pacientes apresentam resposta positiva ao tratamento e outros não manifestam melhora, nos é permitido pensar que há outros fatores condicionantes da manifestação que precisam ser levantados. Através deste estudo buscamos averiguar a existência de uma associação entre a formação de um vínculo positivo entre paciente e terapeuta avaliada através do inventário de aliança terapêutica (IAT) e o recrutamento adequado dos músculos abdominais profundos. Participaram deste estudo 13 indivíduos com LCNE, estes sujeitos foram envolvidos em um programa de tratamento englobando exercícios de controle motor com oito semanas de duração. Ao final do estudo as variáveis de interesse foram analisadas revelando a existência de uma tendência na melhora do recrutamento do músculo transverso abdominal (TrA) quando há o estabelecimento de... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The low back pain is a high incidence condition which has enormous economic costs to the health system. Subjects who experience an acute painful episode in the lumbar region generally have a good prognosis with recession of symptoms in a few weeks, but some of these events become chronics and mostly do not have a cause, being so named, non-specific chronic low back pain (NS-CLBP). However, some reports have showed that psychosocial factors are strongly connected with the maintenance or regression of the symptoms. As some patient present positive response to treatment and others not show get better we can think that there are others factors conditioning of the manifestation which need to be raised. In this study we sought to determine the existence of an association between a formation of the positive bond between patient and therapist assessed by the working alliance inventory (WAI) with adequate recruitment of the deep abdominal muscles. Thirteen individual with NS-CLP participated of this study, these subjects were involved in a treatment program that included motor control exercise with 8 weeks of duration. After the study, the variables of interest were analyzed revealing the existence of trend for improve recruitment of the transversus abdominis muscle (TrA) when there is development... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Non-specific low back pain (LBP) has been associated with alterations in the biomechanical properties and muscle activities of the trunk, but it is unclear how these changes are related to the dynamic stability of the trunk. During sitting, the structures of the trunk stabilise the upper body counterbalancing external moments acting on the trunk. The aim of this research was to evaluate a range of biomechanical variables including the hip and lumbar spine joints range of motions, moments and powers the viscoelastic properties of the trunk, and the role of the muscles while a participant was performing a balancing task in sitting and to compare results between healthy and LBP subjects. A custom-made swinging chair was used to perform the balancing task. It was designed to challenge primarily the trunk and to minimise the effect of the lower limbs so that the role of the trunk could be examined in isolation. Twenty-four participants with LBP and thirty healthy participants were requested to sit on the custom-made swinging chair and to regain the balance after tilting the chair backward for 10° and 20º. Electromagnetic motion track system sensors were placed on the participants’ back, one at the sacrum level and one at the first lumbar vertebral level to measure hip and lumbar kinematics. One further sensor was placed on the chair to track its rotation, which was also the rotation of the lower limbs. Forces data were taken from a force-plate which was mounted at the bottom of the chair. Inverse dynamic equations were used to derive the muscle moment acting at the hip and lumbar spine joints using data from the force platform and the motion tracking system. Muscle power was then calculated by multiplying the muscle moment and the corresponding joint angular velocity. Trunk viscoelastic parameters were derived using a second order linear model combine trunk moment and motion. Chair motion and trial duration were used to evaluate dynamic stability and task performance, in particular, the angular displacement of the chair was fitted in an equation describing the underdamped second-order response to a step input to derive natural frequency and damping ratio and to evaluate possible differences between groups. Activities, reaction times and co-contraction of the trunk muscles were evaluated using surface electromyography (EMG). The surface electrodes were placed bilaterally on the erector spinae , rectus abdominus, external and internal oblique. Kinematic analysis showed that the hip range of motion increased whereas spine range of motion angle decreased in participants with LBP for both tilt angles (p. < 0.05). No significant differences were found in muscle moment and power between healthy and LBP subjects (p > 0.05). The duration of contraction of various trunk muscles and co-contraction were significantly longer in the LBP subjects (p < 0.05) when compared to healthy subjects, and the reaction times of the muscles were also significantly reduced in LBP subjects (p<0.05). Trunk stiffness was found increased for LBP subjects (p < .05) while no difference was found for damping coefficient. There were no significant differences between the 2 subject groups in the time required to regain balance, and in the dynamic stability parameters, the natural frequency and damping ratio. The present study showed LBP was associated with alterations in biomechanical variables; in particular stiffness, hip and lumbar spine joints kinematic and muscle responses were altered in subjects with LBP when compared with healthy group. However, these alterations did not affect dynamic stability and moment developed at joints level, suggesting that LBP subjects adopted a different strategy to maintain balance but with the same effectiveness as the healthy subjects without any worsening of the symptoms. This may suggest to clinicians to encourage patients to remain active rather than to avoid movements. On the other hand, compensatory strategies were achieved with increased co-contraction at the expenses of muscle efficiency. This may lead to muscle fatigue and increase in spinal stress. Future research should clarify if the observed biomechanical alterations in this study are consequences or causes of LBP; or if the biomechanical changes and pain operate in a vicious circle, reinforcing each other leading to chronic conditions. This would help achieve our ultimate goal of developing effective treatment strategies, and it is hoped that the work of this thesis has helped us take a significant forward towards this goal.

Motion and motor patterns of low back pain (LBP) sufferers have been demonstrated as different compared to those without LBP. The mechanism behind such movement alterations is not well known but is believed to be related to pain. Current biomechanical measurement of lumbar curvature and kinematics has limitations for routine clinical use. The aims of this research were to (1) investigate new motion analysis technology for dynamic lumbar curvature (fibre-optic sensors) and higher order kinematic assessment (inertial sensors) within a clinical environment; (2) determine the effect of pain relief on lumbar curvature, kinematics and muscle function in acute low back pain (ALBP) and chronic low back pain (CLBP) sufferers. Dynamic lumbar curvature was found to be reliably measureable in the clinic. Additional analysis demonstrated that regional curvature, as well as sequencing of curvature change measurement was possible. ALBP sufferers display less peak curvature during flexion and lifting compared to CLBP sufferers and both groups demonstrated the greatest curvature change in the second quartile for flexion and lifting and first for extension. Partial pain relief did not increase curvature in either group, and neither group was more likely to respond to pain relief by increasing curvature or altering sequencing. Higher order kinematics could be reliably and readily indentified in the clinic using inertial sensors. Movement-velocity plots were employed to describe the movement trajectory and irregularity. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed that neither partial pain relief (pre vs post) nor chronicity (acute vs chronic) had any effect on lumbar kinematics. Individuals appeared to exhibit different electromyography profiles. Those individuals with little deviation in muscle activation commonly displayed lower kinematic values. Partial pain relief did not alter the pattern of EMG profile, muscle onset timing or peak amplitude. These results suggest that clinicians should not expect automatic alterations in motion and motor patterns following interventions which target and achieve partial pain relief.

BACKGROUND: The Spondyloarthritis Research and Treatment Network (SPARTAN), together with the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the Spondylitis Association of America (SAA), published treatment recommendations for ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) in 2016. The extent to which these recommendations are being followed in clinical practice is unclear. We performed a retrospective chart review focusing on disease activity monitoring, back exercises and DXA scanning in adults with AS. METHODS: We reviewed electronic medical records at a single academic hospital network. The cohort for this study was derived from an existing population of 775 patients identified as having AS or nr-axSpA based on imaging studies, all of whom had 3 or more ICD- 9 or 10 codes for AS (720.x or M45.x). Patients were included if they had at least one rheumatology clinic visit for AS during a three-year study period from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2019. Data were recorded for the first and last clinic visit within the study period. RESULTS: 358 patients met inclusion criteria. The study population was predominantly male (72.6%) with a mean age of 48.1 years (SD=15.5 years); 84.9% had AS based on review of pelvic or spine radiographs. A total of 661 clinic visits were analyzed. A clinical disease activity measure was recorded at 110/661 (16.6%) visits. RAPID3 was the most frequently used score (57.3%) followed by BASDAI (33.6%) and ASDAS (9.1%). CRP and/or ESR was ordered at 346/661 (52.3%) visits. AS-specific physical therapy (PT) or home exercises for the back were documented in 103/661 (15.6%) visits. A discussion of general exercise unrelated to the back was documented in an additional 153/661 (23.1%) visits. 303/358 patients had two or more visits during the study period. The use of disease activity measures or documentation of AS-specific PT or home exercises did not increase between the first and last visit. 65/358 (18.2%) patients had a DXA scan at any time prior to June 30, 2019. Patients with a DXA were significantly older than those without (58.7 vs. 45.7 years, p<0.001) and more likely to be female (31.6% vs. 13.1%, p<0.0001). 32/358 (8.9%) patients carried a diagnosis of osteoporosis, while 27/358 (7.5%) patients had a history of vertebral fracture. 48.1% of patients with a history of vertebral fracture had a DXA compared to 15.7% of patients without vertebral fracture (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Monitoring with validated disease activity measures, treatment with AS- specific PT or home exercises, and osteoporosis screening with DXA were performed at low frequencies in our study population. Our data emphasize the need for more education of rheumatologists and the development of implementation strategies along with future updates of the AS/nr-axSpA treatment recommendations. / 2020-12-07T00:00:00Z