Open AccessEffects of a wearable type lumbosacral support for low back pain among hospital workers: A randomized controlled trial
Author(s) -
Hagiwara Yoshihiro,
Yabe Yutaka,
Yamada Hiroyuki,
Watanabe Takashi,
Kanazawa Kenji,
Koide Masashi,
Sekiguchi Takuya,
Hatano Hirokazu,
Itoi Eiji
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of occupational health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 59
ISSN - 1348-9585
DOI - 10.1539/joh.16-0203-oa
Subject(s) - medicine , visual analogue scale , physical therapy , low back pain , lumbar , lumbosacral joint , back pain , randomized controlled trial , range of motion , neck pain , physical medicine and rehabilitation , surgery , alternative medicine , pathology
Objective To examine the effects of a new wearable type of lumbosacral support on low back pain. Methods A total of 121 healthcare workers participated in this study. They were randomly allocated into the experimental and control groups and the former wore the support with signals of compression on the back by poor posture for the first 3 months. The control group remained on a waiting list for the first 3 months. Medical history, musculoskeletal symptoms, feeling in good posture, sleep habits, psychological distress, Roland‐Morris Disability Questionnaire, and Somatosensory Amplification Scale (SSAS) were evaluated. The range of motion (ROM) in the shoulder and hip joints as well as spinal alignment were evaluated. Our primary concern was the difference in the change of low back pain measured by visual analog scale (VAS) between the two groups. Results A total of 54 participants in the experimental and 53 participants in the control groups were analyzed. VAS and SSAS scores as well as lumbar spinal ROM in the experimental group significantly decreased. Low back pain (OR=0.401, 95% CI=0.168‐0.954) and neck pain in the experimental group (OR = 0.198, 95% CI = 0.052‐0.748) significantly decreased. Conclusions The new lumbar support reduced VAS and SSAS scores, lumbar spinal ROM, low back pain, and neck pain. This new type of lumbar support reduced low back pain among healthcare workers.