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Aleksiev A. (1),(2), Magnusson M. (2), Pope M. (2),
Coblin E. (2)
and Luoto S. (3)
(1) National Center of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation,
Sofia 1618, Bulgaria
(2) The University of Iowa, Iowa Spine Research Center,
Iowa City, IA 52242
(3) Rehabilitation Unit, Invalid Foundation, ORTON,
Helsinki 00280, Finland
Introduction: It has been shown that heavy resistance exercises
produce a rise in blood pressure and a simultaneous rise in intra-abdominal
pressure. There is a growing concern that the increased abdominal
pressure is the cause of the elevated blood pressure. Because
the use of weight belts seems to increase abdominal pressure,
which in turn may cause an increase in blood pressure, the use
of back supports for hypertensive workers has been called into
question. The goal of this study is to determine whether the
wearing of back supports and the subsequent rise in abdominal
pressure causes an elevation of blood pressure and circulatory
response to predict a possible danger to hypertensive workers.
Discussion: The results showed that the isometric type of
lifting significantly affects the diastolic but not the systolic
circulatory responses. This information could be useful as a
precaution to workers with diastolic type of hypertension, typical
in elder patients with elevated blood pressure.
Conclusions: Standard flexible back supports did not influence
the circulatory responses in normotensive subjects during isometric
or dynamic lifting at 50 percent maximum voluntary contraction
(MVC). Further studies are necessary to verify the value of these
findings.
"Back supports did not influence the circulatory
responses in normotensive subjects..."
Assen Aleksiev, MD PhD
Presented at International Society for the Study of the
Lumbar Spine, June 1996, Burlington, VT. (Review by Chase
Ergonomics approved by Dr. Magnusson, July 1996.)
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