Biomechanical and organizational risk and prevalence of low back pain in the old adults caregivers of a nursing home in Joao Pessoa/PB

Work. 2012:41 Suppl 1:1933-9. doi: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0410-1933.

Abstract

The objective present study was to investigate the presence of low back pain in caregivers of a nursing home, related with the labored activities executed by these workers. 16 subjects were investigated, 15 female and one male, with 40,8 age average all being caregivers as their profession. It consisted of three phases, where the first concerns the analysis of the collective work, assessed in a perspective of caregivers, Second, a postural assessment to verify the retractions in such workers and the third stage was used Diagram of Corllet to identify the presence of signs and symptoms in caregivers. The study demonstrated that organizational and biomechanical factors are responsible for the high level of physical fatigue and presence of pain in 93,75% of the caregivers in some region of the body. 50% referred pain in the lumbar region. The results of the postural evaluation confirmed that the caregivers had alterations in the postural alignment, presenting retractions of the anterior and posterior chain. The suggestions are to minimize the risk factors of this productive process and the symptoms and signals presented from these workers by adoption ergonomic measures and the realization of a physical program with stretching and muscular strengthening of the muscles of the anterior and posterior body chain based on the method of Reorganization Postural Sensoperceptive.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Brazil / epidemiology
  • Caregivers* / statistics & numerical data
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Low Back Pain* / epidemiology
  • Low Back Pain* / etiology
  • Low Back Pain* / therapy
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Nursing Homes*
  • Occupational Injuries* / epidemiology
  • Occupational Injuries* / etiology
  • Occupational Injuries* / therapy
  • Posture
  • Risk Factors
  • Young Adult