Back pain in Grand Prix drivers: a 'found' experiment.

ABSTRACT

The 'found' experiment uses a natural change in conditions to investigate the possible effects of those conditions. In this case, the natural change was reduction in stiffness of Grand Prix suspensions between 1982 and 1983. The effects of this change on back pain in drivers were investigated and it was found that both the incidence and severity of back pain decreased significantly. Of the various possible sources of back pain, only the ride changed over the same period. This suggests that mechanical shock and vibration are a significant cause of driving related back pain.