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A supervised worksite exercise program was safe and effective in improving back and core muscular endurance in firefighters, which could protect against future low back pain.

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationships between obesity and measures of back and core muscular endurance in firefighters. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted in career firefighters without low back pain. Obesity measures included body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage assessed with air displacement plethysmography. Muscular endurance was assessed with the Modified Biering Sorensen (back) and Plank (core) tests. Relationships were explored using t-tests and regression analyses. Results. Of the 83 participants enrolled, 24 (29%) were obese (BMI ≥ 30). Back and core muscular endurance was 27% lower for obese participants. Significant negative correlations were observed for BMI and body fat percentage with back and core endurance (r = −0.42 to −0.52). Stepwise regression models including one obesity measure (BMI, body fat percentage, and fat mass/fat-free mass), along with age and self-reported physical exercise, accounted for 17–19% of the variance in back muscular endurance and 29–37% of the variance in core muscular endurance. Conclusions. Obesity is associated with reduced back and core muscular endurance in firefighters, which may increase the risk of musculoskeletal injuries. Obesity should be considered along with back and core muscular endurance when designing exercise programs for back pain prevention in firefighters.

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Development of a new pictorial activity and task sort and examination of its reliability and validity is described. The Multidimensional Task Ability Profile (MTAP) is the latest in a series of measures that use a combination of drawings and task descriptions in a self-report format to assess functional capacity. The MTAP is found to be reliable on a test-retest and split-half basis. The concurrent validity of the MTAP was examined in performance testing of lift capacity. Results demonstrate that the MTAP has good concurrent validity.

Dynamic progressive resistance exercise training on a variable-angle Roman chair is capable of developing back extension endurance. Future research is needed to determine the clinical applicability of variable-angle Roman chair exercise training for patients with low back pain patients.

BACKGROUND: Functional Capacity Evaluations (FCEs) are routinely used in physical medicine to ascertain an individual's work ability; with lift capacity being an important aspect of many evaluations. Despite the widespread use of lift capacity tests, there are few studies that provide age and gender normative data. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety, reliability, and validity of the EPIC Lift Capacity test, and to examine the effects of age and gender on lift capacity. METHODS: This study used a test-retest design with 4,443 adult participants in good general health. Test-retest of participants' lift capacity was undertaken to examine safety and reliability. Age and gender and the self-reported physical demands of each employed participant's usual and customary job were collected to examine validity. RESULTS: Safety and reliability were demonstrated for both measures of lift capacity for each of the six sub-tests in the EPIC Lift Capacity test battery. Inter-subtest differences and expected age and gender differences were found across all subtests. CONCLUSIONS: The EPIC Lift Capacity test is a safe and reliable test of lift capacity. Normative data are presented that allow comparison within age and gender categories.