Saskia Baltrusch

72 Chapter 3 TASK 3: Forward bending Equipment: - Stopwatch - Table (at knee height) - Paper sheet (see below) - Circular paper pieces (20 pieces of each color) Outcome measures: - Performance time (s) - Perceived task difficulty (VAS scale) - Discomfort (VAS scale) - Local Discomfort (VAS Scale) Protocol: The subject stands next to the table. Both hands are manually operative and should not support the body (e.g. placing on hands on the table, thighs, etc.) Subject is free to choose the posture, but not allowed to change it during the task. The manual task of the subject is to sort one color of the paper pieces into rows of 10. Instruction to subject: This is a postural tolerance task. You have to sort the colored pieces into rows of 10 while standing in front of the table. You can choose your own posture. You are not allowed to cahnge that posture during the task. You must not put your hands on your thighs or on the table. You can use both hands in this task. The maximum time of this task is 5 minutes. If the local discomfort in your back gets too high you can stop this task earlier at any time.