Measures of internal lumbar load in professional drivers – The use of a whole-body finite-element model for the evaluation of adverse health effects of multi-axis vibration

The present study aimed to (i) employ the method for evaluation of vibration containing multiple shocks according to ISO/CD 2631-5:2014 (Model 1) and DIN SPEC 45697:2012 in a cohort of 537 professional drivers, (ii) deliver the results for a re-analysis of epidemiological data obtained in the VIBRISKS study, (iii) clarify the extent to which vibration acceleration and individual variables influence risk values, such as the daily compressive dose Sed and the risk factor R, and (iv) compare the results with in vivo measurements and those obtained in previous studies with similar models. The risk factor R was influenced by the acceleration, lifetime exposure duration, sitting posture, age at the start of exposure and body mass/body mass index in order of decreasing effect. Age and annual and daily exposure duration had only a marginal effect. The daily compressive dose Sed and the risk factor R showed weak linear association with the daily vibration exposure A(8) and the vibration dose value VDV. The study revealed high shear forces in the lumbar spine.