Musculoskeletal capacity of middle-aged women and men in physical, mental and mixed occupations

Abstract

The musculoskeletal capacity of 44 women and 39 men, mean age 55.0 +/- 3.4 years, was studied at the beginning and end of a 3.5 year period. The measurements included anthropometrics, maximal isometric trunk flexion and extension strength, maximal isometric hand grip strength and back mobility. According to a job analysis the subjects were divided into three dominating work groups: physical, mental and mixed groups. The results showed significant changes in anthropometrics, maximal isometric muscle strength and in mobility. The body weight and body mass index among women and the body mass index among men increased significantly during the period. The body height and sum of the skinfolds had on the other hand decreased significantly for both women and men. Women showed significant decreases of 9% and 10% (p less than 0.05 and p less than 0.01) in isometric trunk flexion and extension strength, and an increase of 9% in back mobility (p less than 0.05). In mental work, most of the significant changes occurred among women. Men had significant decreases in isometric trunk flexion and extension, 22% and 16% respectively (p less than 0.001) and an increase of 13% in back mobility (p less than 0.001). The men doing physical work had most of the significant changes in musculoskeletal capacity. The results revealed accelerated changes in musculoskeletal capacity in middle-aged employees.

Muscle strength and aerobic capacity in a representative sample of employees with and without repetitive monotonous work

“…Some studies find a tendency to lower maximal muscle strength in the hand, backward extension and forward flexion of the trunk among workers with physically heavy work (Era et al 1992;Nyga˚rd 1987Nyga˚rd , 1988aNyga˚rd , 1988bRuzic et al 2003), which may be explained by a wearing effect of the job. These studies indicate that physically heavy work is no guarantee for high physical capacities.…”

The Effect of Pensions on Longevity: Evidence from Union Army Veterans

“…In 1900, a large majority of Union Army veterans already suffered from chronic diseases, such as joint problems, back problems, irregular pulse or valvular heart diseases (Costa, 2008). Pensions also allowed many veterans to retire from (manual) work, which might have slowed the deterioration in musculoskeletal capacity for veterans with joint and back problems (Nygard et al. , 1988).…”

Psychosocial factors at work and the development of mobility limitations among adults in Denmark

“…Due to the short follow-up time of 6 years in our study, it is not likely that chronic diseases can have caused the observed associations. Musculoskeletal disorders differ from many other major health problems such as cardiovascular disease and cancer in that symptoms often appear early in life and after a relatively short exposure to adverse environmental conditions [24]. Several studies have shown that psychosocial factors (e.g.…”