Pain during lifting and non-biomechanical influencing factors

The limitations of isolated biomechanical perspectives have long been discussed, including within osteopathic discourse. Furthermore, biomechanical loads and the manner of lifting do not differ significantly in people suffering from back pain. And last but not least, there is evidence that pain during lifting is modified by multiple non-mechanical influences.  A recent 2023 study aimed to investigate these correlations. Manual workers performing lifting tasks, both with and without a history of lifting-related low back pain (LBP), were recruited (21 with LBP and 20 without LBP). They participated in a repetitive lifting task. The study compared non-biomechanical factors between workers with and without a history of lifting-related LBP. A secondary objective was to examine the relationships between changes in pain intensity during repetitive lifting and non-biomechanical factors tested in the LBP group. A wide range of non-biomechanical factors was recorded, including psychological, work-related, lifestyle, health, and psychophysical factors. In fact, the LBP group reported poorer sleep quality, more musculoskeletal pain sites beyond just lumbar pain, and more symptoms related to gastrointestinal complaints and pseudoneurology compared to the group without a history of LBP. Although the study population was small and causality cannot be directly inferred, the evidence aligns with osteopathic networked clinical reasoning: namely, that chronic pain exhibits multiple interactions, such as immunological, neuroendocrine, and lifestyle influences. Saraceni N, Campbell A, Kent P, Ng L, Straker L, O’Sullivan P. An Exploration of the Influence of Non-Biomechanical Factors on Lifting-Related LBP. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jan 20;20(3):1903. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9914774/Also check out: Das Osteopathie-Selbsthilfebuch. Trias 2021. At Amazon.