Static Balance Modification during the Workday in Assembly Chain Workers with and without Current Low Back Pain

Abstract

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a common recurrent pathology among assembly chain workers. This population tends to spend most of the workday in a static standing posture and handling loads, with balance being essential for correct job performance. LBP is related to poorer postural control, so balance could be affected in this condition. Methods: The purpose of the present study is to analyze the deterioration of static balance generated by work activity in a prolonged standing position. We assess sway with a pressure platform at three moments of the workday (before, during, and after work), comparing the different balance parameters in 22 manufacturing plant workers with (17) and without (5) LBP. Results: In the pre-work capture, an independent t-test showed no significant differences between the pain and non-pain groups’ static balance parameters. Between the pre- and mid-workday captures, a two-way ANOVA with repeated measures showed a significant decrease in the medial-lateral center of pressure displacement with open eyes in workers with LBP. Conclusions: workers with low back pain do not show a greater deterioration in static balance than workers without pain during the workday.