Summary
Carrying loads on the head is a common practice in rural Zimbabwe. Headloading imposes a considerable amount of strain to the axial skeleton. The cervical spine, being the most cranial and mobile part of the vertebral column, may be susceptible to spondylosis or disc degeneration in headloading. Age as well as the effects of intrinsic factors on cervical spondylosis have been well documented. However, studies on the effect of extrinsic weight bearing to spondylosis on the cervical spine are lacking. In this study, the effect of headloading on the pattern of spondylosis attributed to aging was examined. Results indicated that age led to significant degeneration of the fifth intervertebral disc space (P<0.05) as well as significant straightening of the lordotic curve (P<0.01). Load carrying seems to accentuate the straightening of the curve (P<0.001). The results also suggest that headloading creates a shift in the degeneration from the fifth intervertebral disc space to higher levels. It is concluded that carrying heavy loads on the head alters the pattern of degenerative changes of the cervical spine.
Résumé
Porter de lourdes charges sur la tête est une pratique habituelle au Zimbabwe dans les zones rurales. Le port céphalique de charge impose des contraintes considérables au squelette axial. La colonne cervicale, portion crâniale et mobile de la colonne vertébrale, peut présenter une cervicarthrose ou une altération discale en raison du port de charges sur la tête. L'âge et les facteurs intrinsèques déterminant une cervicarthrose ont été bien étudiés. Cependant, l'action éventuelle d'un poids supplémentaire contribuant à la genèse d'une cervicarthrose n'a pas été étudiée. Dans cette étude, les effets du port céphalique de charge sur l'importance d'une cervicarthrose attribuée au vieillissement, sont examinés. Les résultats indiquent que le vieillissement aboutit à une altération significative du 5ème espace intervertébral (P<0,05) ainsi qu'à un redressement significatif de la lordose (P<0.01). Le port de charge semble accentuer le redressement de la courbe (P<0,001). Les résultats suggèrent également que le port de charge sur la tête réalise un transfert des lésions du 5ème espace intervertébral vers des niveaux sujacents. On en déduit que le port de lourdes charges sur la tête modifie l'aspect des atteintes dégénératives de la colonne cervicale.
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Joosab, M., Torode, M. & Prasada Rao, P. Preliminary findings on the effect of load-carrying to the structural integrity of the cervical spine. Surg Radiol Anat 16, 393–398 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01627659
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01627659