Analyses of the workload upon the lower back of farmers who cultivate strawberries under greenhouses / 日本農村医学会雑誌

ABSTRACT

In order to find some countermeasures to relieve the workload upon the lower back due to harvesting and sorting strawberries, prevalence of localized fatigue complaints and flexibility of spine of strawberry farmers were compared with eggplant farmers. Furthermore time study, global EMG and biomechanical analysis of body postures during harvesting strawberries and so forth were performed. Obtained results are as follows<BR>1) As for the localized fatigue complaints during the one month soon after harvesting season, prevalence of the lower back pain was 58.1% in men and 82.5% in women. As to the body part where fatigue feeling appears during harvesting strawberries, most of the farmers pointed out the lower back.<BR>2) Flexibility of the spine was disturbed in some degree compared with the eggplant farmers.<BR>3) The specific stooping posture with the left forearm supported by the left thigh just above the knee was sometimes observed and was suspected to relieve the load upon the lower back. This posture was proved to decrease the moment upon the lower back, to straighten the unnatural curvature of thoracolumbar spine, and relieve the muscle tension of legs.<BR>4) Too short leisure season in the strawberry cultivation and too short sleeping hours due to long working hours during harvesting season were considered to accelarate the accumulative localized fatigue in the lower back.