Effects of Multi-Axial Whole Body Vibrations on Postural Stability

Details

• Personal Author:
  Kim JH ; Srinivasan D
• Description:
  Prolonged exposure to Whole Body Vibration (WBV) has been associated with loss of postural stability and thereby increased risks of falling. Previous studies have shown that off-road heavy equipment vehicle operators are exposed to multi-axial WBV which has significant fore-aft (x-axis) and/or lateral (y-axis) vibration as compared to on-road vehicle operators who WBV exposure are predominantly on the vertical axis. These multi-axial components of WBV can have additional adverse effects on the vestibular system and thereby reduce postural stability. However, the nature of the additional impact of multi-axial WBV exposure on postural stability is poorly understood. Therefore, this study quantified the relative impacts of vertical-dominant and multi-axial WBV exposures on postural control and evaluated the effectiveness of an intervention (i.e., multi-axial active suspension seat) to mitigate WBV-related postural control impairment. These are some of our main findings: 1) Prolonged sitting without WBV (i.e., control condition) by itself impaired postural control. 2) Both vertical-dominant and multi-axial WBV negatively affected postural control. 3) While limited differences on postural control measures were observed between the two types of WBV exposures, off-road vehicles' multi-axial WBV had greater impact on some of the postural control measures compared to on-road vehicles' vertical-dominant WBV. 4) The multi-axial active suspension seat did not exhibit superior performance in mitigating the effects of multi-axial WBV on postural control when compared to the vertical-axial passive suspension seat. 5) The study suggests that taking even a brief break of 30 minutes could offer drivers the advantage of recovering from potential postural control impairments associated with both WBV and prolonged sitting. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidental Falls Accidents Automobiles Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety Vibration
• Keywords:
  Falls Heavy Equipment Motor Vehicle Parts Motor Vehicles Posture Seat Designs Vestibular Function Whole Body Vibration
• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Final Grant Report
• Place as Subject:
  Oregon ; OSHA Region 10
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-12
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069526
• Citation:
  Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, R21-OH-011538, 2023 Nov; :1-12
• Email:
  jay.kim@oregonstate.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• Performing Organization:
  Oregon State University
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20190915
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20210914
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5137bda238ddc91d2888cca2d0629c37555298d0d1a994eb9a92feb6de95468310b3b4ad7149967c51e85bff18fe24d7195e0464446448cc3027b498a8e88d9d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/219236/cdc_219236_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.04 MB ]