Biomechanics of lifting

Abstract

Lifting has been the subject of research for many years. The reasons that triggered this interest in lifting are its believed association to low back pain on one hand and to its usefulness in muscle training, rehabilitation and technique enhancement on the other hand. Even though the area of lifting biomechanics is saturated with studies, there still is no agreement on most aspects of lifting and in particular, the safest lifting technique, contribution of intra-abdominal pressure (lAP), use of lifting belts. Previously, there was some effort by some researchers to give some conservative recommendations. With the publication of many recent studies, it was important to review them in light of the previous ones in the hope of reaching some solid implications. After the review, it was clear that definite recommendations are not at hand yet specifically in terms of lifting technique, lifting belt, or the contribution of lAP in lowering loads on the lumbar region. The only obvious factor that was in agreement by almost all researchers is the superiority of the use of dynamic biomechanical models in estimating lumbar loads compared to static ones. Based on this review, more research is still needed before definite recommendations are reached. In the end, some implications are suggested in both the ergonomic and sports areas