Physical Education and Sports Science Academic Group, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Responder Performance Centre, Civil Defence Academy, Singapore Civil Defence Force, Singapore.
Ergonomics. 2024 May;67(5):650-659. doi: 10.1080/00140139.2023.2236821. Epub 2023 Jul 26.
Firefighters often experience low back pain (LBP), but their back muscle characteristics are not well studied. This study aimed to 1) compare the biomechanical characteristics of back muscles and self-reported back disabilities in frontline firefighters with and without LBP history, and 2) examine the relationships between back disability and biomechanical measurements. We recruited 42 male firefighters and assessed their perceived pain and disabilities, maximum isometric back extension strength, passive stiffness, and fatigability of the longissimus. 54.8% of the participants experienced LBP within the past year. Those indicating higher pain intensity also had greater disability as indicated by the Oswestry Disability Index. There were no significant differences in strength, stiffness or fatigability of the back muscles between firefighters with and without LBP history. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed no significant relationship between the back disability and any biomechanical or demographic measures, likely due to the high functional abilities of the participants.
消防员经常会经历下背痛（LBP），但其背部肌肉特征尚未得到充分研究。本研究旨在：1）比较有和无 LBP 病史的一线消防员的背部肌肉生物力学特征和自我报告的背部残疾情况；2）研究背部残疾与生物力学测量之间的关系。我们招募了 42 名男性消防员，评估了他们的感知疼痛和残疾程度、最大等长背部伸展力量、被动刚度和竖脊肌疲劳性。54.8%的参与者在过去一年中经历过 LBP。根据 Oswestry 残疾指数，疼痛强度较高的参与者的残疾程度也较高。有和无 LBP 病史的消防员之间的背部肌肉力量、刚度或疲劳性没有显著差异。多元线性回归分析显示，背部残疾与任何生物力学或人口统计学测量指标之间没有显著关系，这可能是由于参与者的高功能能力所致。
