June/July 2008 (vol. 05/1)

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Research Plus

Whole body vibration

Employers are required to protect employees from whole body vibration (WBV) under the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005; however, to date there has been little consensus on the health risks of exposure. Research carried out on healthy young adults (mean age 23 years) used a ‘wobble chair’ to measure trunk postural control. The individuals were subjected to WBV applied from under the seat. WBV was found to increase various measures of kinetic variance of unstable seated balance as well as non-linear stability control; in other words, it impaired postural control of the trunk. The results provide a possible mechanism by which WBV could increase the risk of low back injury.

Clinical Biomechanics 2008; 23(4): 381–386.  http://www.clinbiomech.com/article/S0268-0033(07)00260-4/abstract

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Occupational Health at Work June/July 2008 (vol. 05/1) pp35