Effects of a worksite supervised adapted physical activity program on trunk muscle endurance, flexibility and pain sensitivity among vineyard workers

OBJECTIVES: In viticulture, the prevalence of low back pain is particularly high among vineyard workers exposed to sustained and awkward postures. One promising setting for low back pain prevention resides in the implementation of workplace physical activity.

METHODS: This non-randomized pilot study aims at evaluating the effects of a worksite supervised adapted physical activity program among seventeen vineyard-workers volunteered to enter either an intervention group (n=10) or a control group (n=7).The intervention group followed a physical activity program for 8 weeks involving (1) 15 minutes of warm-up every working day and (2) two weekly one-hour of adapted physical activity sessions targeting trunk muscle endurance and flexibility. The control group was advised to continue normal physical activity. Evaluations were carried out at week 0, week 4, week 8 and week 12. Physical capacity was assessed using flexibility tests for the trunk, along with trunk muscle flexor and extensor endurance tests. Finally, pain sensitivity was evaluated by assessing pressure pain thresholds over 14 anatomical locations in the low back region.

RESULTS: For the intervention group, the endurance of the trunk extensor and flexor significantly increased from baseline to week 8 as well as the pressure pain thresholds. No change was observed for the control group over the same period.

CONCLUSIONS: Our encouraging results in combination with the high adherence rate set interesting foundations for the promotion of worksite supervised adapted physical activity and most likely, offer a new promising approach to prevent low back pain among vineyard-workers.