Effects of load carriage on measures of postural sway in healthy, young adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Martin, Joel; Kearney, James; Nestrowitz, Sara; Burke, Adam; Weyden, Megan Sax van der

doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2022.103893

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…Thus, due to the proximity of the LEO DB to the center of mass and short moment arm about the hip, the LEO DB might not have been of sufficient magnitude to cause any change based on its location. While this does not explain the findings for the vest condition, it is plausible that the mass of the vest was balanced and dispersed across the trunk in such a way that it too did not lead to any significant change [ 59 ]. Lastly, the participants demonstrated a relatively high degree of variability in their responses to the vest and LEO DB , and any effect in either direction may have been negated by those who had an inverse response.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of the Law Enforcement Duty Belt on Muscle Activation during Hip Hinging Movements in Young, Healthy Adults

Kearney

Weyden

Cortés

et al. 2023

JFMK

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Sixty percent of all law enforcement officers (LEOs) experience low back pain (LBP), with the LEO duty belt (LEODB) commonly reported to be a contributing factor. The primary purpose of the study was to investigate the LEODB’s effect on muscular activity and compare it to a tactical vest, which is a commonly used alternative to an LEODB. In total, 24 participants (13 male, 11 female; mass, 73.0 ± 11.1 kg; height, 169.0 ± 10.0 cm; age, 24.0 ± 5.8 years) completed a progressive series of hip hinge tasks in a single testing session. All participants completed four conditions (no belt, leather belt, nylon belt, and weight VEST) in a randomized order. Surface electromyography (sEMG) sensors were placed bilaterally on the rectus abdominus, multifidus, biceps femoris, and rectus femoris. Across all tasks, no significant effects of load on muscle activity were found for any of the muscles. Participants rated the VEST condition as more comfortable (p < 0.05) and less restrictive (p < 0.05) than either LEODB. The findings suggest an LEODB does not alter muscle activity during bodyweight hip hinging or lifting objects from the ground. Future research should examine whether changes in muscle activity occur with durations of LEODB wear more similar to an actual work shift duration for LEOs (≥8 h).

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of the Law Enforcement Duty Belt on Muscle Activation during Hip Hinging Movements in Young, Healthy Adults

Kearney

Weyden

Cortés

et al. 2023

JFMK

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“…Carrying heavy loads is a necessity for special police officers. Although excessive loads cause several negative health-related outcomes, including higher injury incidence and lower physical performance [ 2 , 3 , 4 ], the effort to develop public health strategies and interventions to promote better understanding of equipment positioning and to create a specific design of equipment is still scarce. Greater insight into the effects of carrying load on body biomechanics may be obtained by manipulating the location of the CoM of the backpack by locating weight ‘high’ vs. ‘low’ and ‘close’ vs. ‘away’ from the back position [ 12 ].…”

Section: Implication For Professional Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although carrying excessive load is part of specific military training and operation protocols [ 1 , 2 ], it is associated with a few negative health-related outcomes, including the increased risk of lower limb injury [ 2 ] and a decrease in physical performance [ 3 , 4 ]. A historical perspective of military load shows an increase in load weight over time, which often leads to task inefficiencies due to different ergonomics and design of the load carried into combat [ 5 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Load Carriage on Postural Sway and Relative Ground Reaction Forces in Special Police Officers: A Cross-Sectional Study

Kasović

Vespalec

Štefan

2022

IJERPH

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Although excessive load carriage results in biomechanical gait changes, little evidence has been provided regarding its impact on postural sway. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to determine whether heavier loads have effects on changing foot stability and postural sway in special police officers. Thirty male special police officers (age = 40 ± 6 years, height = 180 ± 5 cm, weight = 89 ± 8 kg) were assessed in four conditions: (1) carrying no load, (2) carrying a 5 kg load, (3) carrying a 25 kg load, and (4) carrying a 45 kg load. Foot characteristics during standing were assessed with Zebris pedobarographic pressure platform. Heavier loads increased the center of pressure (COP) path length and average velocity, length of minor and major axis, and 95% confidence ellipse area, while a decrease in angle between Y and major axis was observed. Relative forces beneath the left forefoot and right backfoot regions decreased and an increase in relative forces beneath the left backfoot and right forefoot was observed. When carrying heavy loads, static foot parameters rapidly changed, especially in COP path length and average velocity.

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“…Load carriage is an essential part of training and on-duty protocol tasks for special populations, including the military [1,2] and police [3]. Although important, it has been observed that such a load may impact the musculoskeletal system, causing an increased risk of lower limb injury [4] and decreased physical performance [5,6] Moreover, recent studies have observed a negative trend in load weight, often surpassing the recommended level of 45% body mass [7,8] When carrying heavy loads, gait and posture characteristics often tend to change and adapt [9]. From a biomechanical point of view, heavy equipment during walking may impact balance, movement and overall postural stability, leading to greater torques in hip and trunk areas and alternatively causing alternations in body control [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Load Carriage and Changes in Spatiotemporal and Kinetic Biomechanical Foot Parameters during Quiet Stance in a Large Sample of Police Recruits

Štefan,

Kasović,

Štefan

2024

Applied Sciences

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Background: Little evidence has been provided regarding the effects of carrying standardized load equipment and foot parameters during quiet standing. Therefore, the main purpose of the study was to examine whether a load carriage might impact static foot parameters in police recruits. Methods: Eight hundred and forty-five police recruits (27.9% women) were tested in ‘no load’ vs. standardized ‘3.5 kg load’ conditions. Foot characteristics during standing were assessed with the Zebris FDM pedobarographic pressure platform. Results: Carrying a 3.5 kg load significantly increased the 95% confidence ellipse area (∆ = 15.0%, p = 0.009), the center of pressure path length (∆ = 3.3%, p = 0.023) and average velocity (∆ = 11.1%, p = 0.014), the length of the minor axis (∆ = 8.2%, p < 0.009) and the deviation in the X (∆ = 12.4%, p = 0.005) and Y (∆ = 50.0%, p < 0.001) axes. For relative ground reaction forces, a significant increase in the left forefoot (∆ = 2.0%, p = 0.002) and a decrease in the left hindfoot (∆ = −2.0%, p = 0.002) were shown. No significant changes in relative ground reaction forces beneath the forefoot and hindfoot regions for the right foot were observed (p > 0.05). Conclusions: The findings suggest that spatial and temporal foot parameters may be more prone to change while carrying heavy loads, especially the center of pressure characteristics.

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Effects of load carriage on measures of postural sway in healthy, young adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Cited by 10 publications

References 66 publications

Effect of the Law Enforcement Duty Belt on Muscle Activation during Hip Hinging Movements in Young, Healthy Adults

Effect of the Law Enforcement Duty Belt on Muscle Activation during Hip Hinging Movements in Young, Healthy Adults

Effects of Load Carriage on Postural Sway and Relative Ground Reaction Forces in Special Police Officers: A Cross-Sectional Study

Load Carriage and Changes in Spatiotemporal and Kinetic Biomechanical Foot Parameters during Quiet Stance in a Large Sample of Police Recruits

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