Abstract
Trunk kinematic variables have been used to understand the risk of low back injuries in the workplace. Variability in trunk kinematics has not been explored to the same level. In the current study, it was hypothesized that workplace variables (starting height and load weight) would have an impact on the variability in the kinematic variables describing trunk motion. Ten participants performed a repetitive lifting task under four different conditions representing two levels of load weight and starting height. The Lumbar Motion Monitor was used to capture key trunk kinematic variables from the concentric range of lifting motion. The dominant parameter in this experiment was found to be the starting height of the lift which significantly affected the variability of trunk kinematics in sagittal plane. In the transverse plane neither starting height of the load nor the weight of the load were found to influence the variability of trunk kinematics significantly.