Effectiveness of a new back belt in the maintenance of lumbar lordosis while sitting: a pilot study

This study compared the conditions of no belt and new belt wearing and evaluated the effects of the belt in the maintenance of lumbar lordosis during simulated sitting tasks. Trunk angle and lumbosacral angle were examined under the experimental conditions. Nine subjects performed a data entry task while sitting at a desk during each 60-min experimental period. Results showed that there were significant differences in trunk angle and lumbar posture between the no belt and the new belt condition (with an average difference of -14.1degrees in lumbar lordosis and 16.9degrees in trunk angle) during the final 10-min stage of the task. The new belt seemed to provide support for the back by the counter-supporting force from the knees. The results suggest that the new belt may be useful in seated tasks because of its maintenance of lumbar lordosis and erect trunk. Relevance to industry With the expanding use of video display terminals (VDTs), a high incidence of symptoms in VDT operators has been reported. Many studies indicated a higher risk of low back pain (LBP) with work performed in sitting postures. The new belt proposed in this study provides an alternative to the prevention of LBP from the VDT task. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.