The Influence of Mental Workload on Trunk Stability and Neuromuscular Control

Low back disorders are both very prevalent and detrimental, affecting 15-20% of the population every year (Rubin, 2007). Because of this, researchers have addressed a wide variety of risk factors and interactions of low back disorders, including personal, psychosocial, and work-related physical exposures and their effects on this common disability. Investigating these risk factors has suggested that mental and physical workloads interact; a result the current study intends to further explore in the field of postural stability. To that end, the current study has two goals: first, to develop a data-rich protocol to capture physical and mental workload data; second, to use that protocol to understand the effects of mental workload on trunk stability and how that affects those with low back disorders. The results of this study will inform both the theories behind neuromuscular control and postural stability and the designers and evaluators of workplaces.