1) The document examines the impact of back pain on kyphotic and lordotic indices by measuring the spinal curvature of 56 subjects between ages 30-40 either with or without back pain. 2) Statistical analysis found a significant difference in the mean kyphotic and lordotic indices between the control and experimental groups, indicating that back pain increases spinal curvature. 3) The results suggest that ensuring workplace safety to reduce back pain can help maintain a normal spinal structure.

1. AN ERGONOMIC APPROACH TO
FIND OUT THE IMPACT OF
BACK PAIN ON KYPHOTIC AND
LORDOTIC INDICES
UTTAM ANCHALIA
M.Sc. (Final Year)
Roll No. : PC/PHY/0707
Registration No. : 022876 of 2002-2003
Department of Physiology
PRESIDENCY COLLEGE
Kolkata
2008

2. INTRODUCTION
• Human spine is normally ‘S’ shaped.
• The concave backward curvature is called Lordosis
and the concave forward curvature is called
kyphosis.
• The degree of kyphosis and lordosis of the spine
can be measured from the index of Kyphosis and
index of lordosis respectively.
• The permanent change in the indices depicts that
the spine shape is not normal.
• Pain (LBP), “a physical adjunct of an imperative
protective reflex” – as remarked by Sherrington”,
may change the kyphotic and lordotic indices.

4. Kypholordosis variations:

5. • Kyphotic index= (TW/Tl)*100
where,TW= Thoracic width
TL = Thoracic
length
• Lordotic index=(LW/LL)*100
where, LW= lumber width
LL = Lumber length
[Ref: Ryan SD, Fried LP (1997)]

6. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
• To find out whether back pain has any
impact on the Kyphotic and Lordotic
indices is the aim of the project work.

7. MATERIALS AND METHODS
A) Selection of subject :
 56 subjects were selected of the age group
30-40 years.
 The subjects were in between 2 – 5 years of
experience.
 On the basis of Nordic MSD questionnaire for back pain,
the subjects were classified into two groups.
• Control group- having no back pain.
• Experimental group- having back pain but developed after
joining and progress of the work.
B) Architect’s flexicurve had been used to get the spinal curvature
and thereby to calculate the Kyphotic and Lordotic indices.

8. RESULTS
 Paired two tail ‘t’ test had been performed to
analyze the significant difference between the
means of Kyphotic and Lordotic Indices in the
control and experimental groups.
TABLE-1: Mean ± SD of some physiological parameters of the control and
experimental groups.
PARAMETER CONTROL EXPERIMENTAL
Age (in years) 34 ± 3.1 34 ± 3.2
Height (in meter) 1.61 ± 0.105 1.65 ± 0.062
Weight (in Kg) 58.8 ± 7.82 61.9 ± 11.14
Body Mass Index (kg/m²) 22.9 ± 3.63 22.7 ± 3.56

9. 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
1
Group
age(yrs)
Control Experimental
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
1.6
1.8
1
Group
Height(inmeter)
Control Experimental

10. 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
1
Group
BMI(Kg/M2)
Control Experimental
0
20
40
60
80
1
Group
weight(Kg)
Control Experimental

11. TABLE-2: Mean ± SD of Blood Pressure & Heart Rate of Control and
Experimental Groups.
PARAMETERS CONTROL EXPERIMENTAL
BLOOD
PRESSURE
(mm-Hg)
SYSTOLIC 121.5 ± 11.54 123.9 ± 6.87
DIASTOLIC 82 ± 8.54 79.4 ± 4.89
HEART
RATE
(Beats/min)
RESTING 73 ± 6.2 74 ± 5.1
WORKING 98 ± 7.7 93 ± 6.9

12. 0
20
40
60
80
100
1
Group
DiastolicBlood
Pressure(mmofHg)
Control Experimental
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
1
Group
SystolicBloodPresure
(mmofHg)
Control Experimental

13. Heart Rate
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Resting Working
Group
HeartRate(beats/min)
Control Experimental

14. TABLE- 3: MEAN ± SD of Kyphotic and Lordotic Indices and
their Percent Increment in Control and Experimental Group.
PARAMETERS CONTROL
GROUP
EXPERIMENTAL
GROUP
PERCENT
INCREMENT
SIGNIFICANCE
LEVEL
KYPHOTIC
INDEX
6.28 ± 0.762 9. 45 ± 2. 619 50.48 P≤0.001
LORDOTIC
INDEX
6.24 ± 1.432 9.03 ± 3. 223 44.71 P≤0.001

15. 0
2
4
6
8
10
12
1
Group
kyphoticindex
Control Experimental
0
2
4
6
8
10
1
Group
LordoticIndex
Control Experimental

16. DISCUSSION
Paired two tail t test was done to find out the
significant difference between the means of kyphotic
and lordotic indices in the control and experimental
groups at the level of significance α=0.001. The
computed ‘t’ scores (=5.806) for kyphotic index and
for lordotic index (=4.15) are higher than the critical ‘t’
score . The probability p of correctness of H0 is less
than 0.001 & may be considered too low. So H0 is
rejected for both the cases and it is inferred that there
is a significant difference between the means of
kyphotic and lordotic indices of the two groups. Thus
back pain might play its role on the two indices.

17. OUTCOME OF THE STUDY
By ensuring the safety aspects of the
workers through redesigning the machines
to reduce accidents in the industry which
may in turn reduce the back pain
development and ensure the normal spine
structure.

18. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I am indebted to Prof. Devasish Sen and Prof. Alak Kumar
Syamal, Prof. Subrata Ghosh of the Department of Physiology,
Presidency College, Kolkata, for their guidance throughout this
project work with invaluable suggestions and abundant
inspiration. I would like to express my gratitude to Prof.
Chandan Mitra, Head of the Department of Physiology,
Presidency College, Kolkata, for his patience and guidance.
I would like to thank all of my teachers, all research
scholars and non-teaching staffs for their co-operation.
Lastly, constant support and inspiration from my parents
and my friends deserve a special mention without which I could
not have finished my project in time.