Investigation of the Effect of Spine Health Training and Lumbar Region Support on Back Pain and Discomfort in City Bus Drivers: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Pamukkale University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Low Back Disorder; Low Back Pain (LBP)

Treatments: Other: Training was provided on spinal health.; Other: Training on spinal health was provided and lumbar region support was applied for 3 months.

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06841107

E-60116787-020-244556

Details and patient eligibility

About

The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies driving as a function of daily activities and social participation. Professional bus drivers have an important place in society for transportation. Drivers are seen as a stressful occupational group due to their use of the vehicle in the same position and intensive working hours.

It is important for bus drivers not to feel discomfort during long working hours and to choose the right seat position. Because the design of the driver's seat directly affects the driver's spine biomechanics. For an ergonomic posture, the head, back and waist areas of the driver's seats should be well supported. During driving, the waist and back of the seat should be supported in order to fix the driver's lumbar region due to movements in the vehicle seat.

Professional drivers' long working hours, sitting positions and exposure to vibration, work stress, short breaks, and insufficient physical activity bring about occupational diseases. Musculoskeletal disorders are seen primarily, as well as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, etc. Most musculoskeletal problems are caused by incorrect sitting positions. In many studies, it is seen that drivers have neck, upper back and waist pain, and spinal problems. The main reason for musculoskeletal disorders is that the seats are not adjustable and most drivers try to maintain their posture with additional supports. When the studies conducted look at the relationship between the driver and the seat during long-term vehicle use, the pressure in the contact areas, insufficient support in the back and waist area causes a decrease in comfort, thus causing back and waist discomfort and pain in the individual.

Psychosocial factors are also risk factors affecting musculoskeletal disorders. It has been observed that stress causes various diseases including heart disease, gastrointestinal diseases, and musculoskeletal disorders in city bus drivers. Psychosocial factors such as job satisfaction, burnout, and stress have been found to be associated with the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders.

Eliminating the back pain and discomfort of professional drivers, who occupy a large place in society, will provide great benefits both for the health of individuals and to alleviate the burden on the service sector. In studies in the international literature on this subject, only posture analyses of drivers have been conducted or the effects on pain and discomfort in the short term after the intervention have been examined. In the literature, drivers stated that seats with lumbo-sacral support were more comfortable than standard seats. In this study, the effect on pain and discomfort will be examined by following the drivers for 3 months. The aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of the use of lumbar region support in bus drivers by following them for 3 months in terms of back pain and discomfort caused by long working hours and incorrect posture.

Enrollment: 104 patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Those with back pain and discomfort
• Those who have been a bus driver for at least 1 year

Exclusion criteria

• Having been a bus driver for less than 1 year
• Having any orthopedic, neurological, rheumatological or metabolic disease diagnosed due to back pain
• Having had spinal surgery
• Using medication for a diagnosed back problem
• Having received physiotherapy/physical therapy for a diagnosed back pain problem

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Factorial Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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104 participants in 3 patient groups

Spinal health training

Active Comparator group

Description:

It focuses on basic body knowledge, correct posture and spinal health; common spinal problems, especially in drivers, and their prevention. It covers how a healthy spine should look like, what to look out for during and after working hours, correct driver seat adjustments and stretching and strengthening exercises to maintain spinal health.

Treatment:

Other: Training was provided on spinal health.

Spinal health training and lumbar region support

Active Comparator group

Description:

It focuses on basic body knowledge, correct posture and spinal health; common spinal problems, especially in drivers, and their prevention. It covers how a healthy spine should look like, what to look out for during and after working hours, correct driver seat adjustments and stretching and strengthening exercises to maintain spinal health. In addition, lumbar region support was used during working hours for 3 months.

Treatment:

Other: Training on spinal health was provided and lumbar region support was applied for 3 months.

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Control group; there is no intervention.