International archives of occupational and environmental health
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Int Arch Occup Environ Health · Jul 2009
Metrics of whole-body vibration and exposure-response relationship for low back pain in professional drivers: a prospective cohort study.
The objective of this study was to investigate the relation between alternative measures of exposure to whole-body vibration (WBV) and low back pain (LBP) in professional drivers. ⋯ Measures of vibration exposure derived from exposure duration (daily or lifetime) and r.m.q. acceleration magnitude (VDV, Sigma[a(wqi)(m)t(i)]) were better predictors of LBP outcomes over time than measures of vibration exposure including r.m.s. acceleration (A(8), summation operator[a(wsi)(m)t(i)]). Patterns of exposure-response relationship were more evident for the outcomes high pain intensity or disability in the lower back than for the binary response 12-month LBP.