Effects of exercise therapy on muscular strength in firefighters with back pain

Abstract

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to determine how an exercise program focusing on muscular strength could aid firefighters with chronic lower back pain. [Subjects] The research subjects were randomly assigned to two groups, the experimental group (n=8) and the control (n=8). [Methods] The experimental group performed two types of exercise programs four times per week for 8 weeks under supervision. Tests were performed before and after the 8 weeks of exercise in accordance with the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency’s program. [Results] At the end of the 8 weeks of the rehabilitation program, abdominal muscular strength were significantly increased in the experimental group, and this indicates that the exercise therapy was effective for improvement of muscular strength. [Conclusion] We found that exercise therapy is an effective intervention that can reduce the pain of patients with chronic lower back pain. The firefighters with chronic lower back pain who participated in this study exhibited enhanced lower back muscular strength and obtained some additional benefits. They need regular exercise.

Functional versus conventional strength and conditioning programs for back injury prevention in emergency responders

“…The present study showed that back extension strength improved sharply after 8 weeks of training, but no further gain was observed from mid-to post-intervention tests. These results are in line with the literature that 6-8 weeks of exercise training can induce substantial improvement in strength (Moon et al, 2015;Schoenfeld et al, 2015;Steele et al, 2015;Haun et al, 2019;Tay et al, 2019). Given the relatively short duration of 8 weeks, it is believed that most of the initial strength improvement are of a neurological nature rather than muscle hypertrophy (Balshaw et al, 2017).…”

“…Traditionally, conventional resistance training emphasizes symmetrical exercises whereby the left and right limbs are loaded together and perform the same range of motion simultaneously (bench press, back squat, deadlift, strict press) (Beach et al, 2014;Moon et al, 2015). These conventional exercises, when performed at appropriate intensity and volume, may provide sufficient back and core strength to protect the emergency responders from back injuries.…”

Predictors of Back Pain in Firefighters

“…Physical fitness training is expected to maintain job performance. Moon et al (2015) investigated physical fitness and back pain between experimental and control groups of firefighters for 8 weeks and found that pain could be reduced in participants with chronic lower back pain after they participated in the intervention. The possible explanation for differences in findings on this variable could be that physical fitness in Moon et al’s study measured fitness and strength using stronger measures (i.e., sit-ups holding and sit-arch back holding compared with this study, which used running or walking, bench press, sit-up, and sit and reach) as measures of physical fitness.…”

“…These results have been reported among other occupational groups (e.g., nurses and construction workers) as well; however, additional research is needed on firefighters (White et al, 2016). Moon et al (2015) found that the role of physical fitness is critical to improving muscle strength and minimizing lower back pain in firefighters. Because work-related back pain is the leading cause of early retirement among firefighters, research on physical fitness and back pain in firefighters is needed (Lusa et al, 2015).…”

Exercise Habits and Resources for Southeastern US Firefighters

“…Structured exercise interventions are beneficial for firefighter health and fitness 7,[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] ; however, only 27% of fire departments provide such programs. 2 On-site (within the station) firefighter exercise facilities and programs are often sparse, leaving individual firefighters responsible for their own physical fitness and occupational readiness.…”