Abstract
A common theme found in epidemiological studies is the occurance of low back injuries where the body is required to quickly generate muscular forces necessary for stabilizing the body, as in the case of slips, falls, and sudden loading. These large muscular forces create large instantaneous loadings on structures within the musculoskeletal system, including the spine. This is viewed as a mechanism whereby low back injury occurs. Previous investigations have indicated the importance of a preparatory period in reducing the impulse loads delivered to the spine. The current research was designed to address questions as to how cognitive factors, such as temporal expectancies, enable the body to prepare for a loading event. Four subjects were exposed to repeated sessions of sudden loading at 1 minute intervals. This experiment measured: the muscle responses via surface EMG, IAP, and postural changes made in anticipation of the loading event. The preparatory strategies were evaluated in terms of: the predicted spinal compression, sagittal lumbar displacement, COG displacement and ground reaction forces.
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