Prevalence of Core Weakness in Bank Employees

Abstract

Introduction: Adults working in full time sedentary jobs spend 75% of their job time sitting, in terms of total time of sedentary behaviour of individuals. This population is at a greater risk of sedentary behaviour, due to elevation in the prevalence of sedentary office work and leisure time habits, resulting in 9-11 hours of total sitting time per day. Some of the occupations have adapted a sedentary behaviour, they demand long hours of being in one position. Adults adapt to faulty postures due to prolonged hours of work leading to muscular imbalances which highly contribute to the increased risk of musculoskeletal disorders. These disorders mainly occur due to weakening of the “core” musculature i.e. the central musculature of the body. This in turn may lead to excessive load on the lumbar spine, back, poor endurance of muscles, muscle imbalance and lower extremity disorders. Aim: To find out the prevalence of core weakness in bank employees with respect to their gender, age and Body Mass Index (BMI). Materials and Methods: A total of 99 healthy bank employees (67 males and 32 females), who were physically inactive for 6-8 hours daily and exercising for less than 2 hours per week, with their age between 20-50 years, were selected for the assessment of their core for finding its weakness. To find whether the bank employees had core weakness, outcome assessment was done by using a Chattanooga Pressure Stabilizer™. Results: In this study, statistically significant difference was noted within individuals with normal BMI (18.5-24.99 Kg/m2 ), whereas with respect to the age and gender, no statistically significant difference was noted. Conclusion: The prevalence of core weakness in bank employees was found to be 72.73%; majority of core weakness was found within the age group of 45-50 years (23.6%) which was relatively higher than other age groups. Prevalence of core weakness was found to be more in male population (65.3%) and in individuals with normal BMI (52.8%).

Keywords

• core muscles
• core stability
• low back pain
• physical activity
• pressure biofeedback
• sedentary work