For this study seventy five rice cultivators were selected from the different villages of Ichhapur,
Chowtara, Banna and Gopinagar near Tarakeswar of West Bengal, India. Seventy five male control
subjects (office workers), not working in awkward postures for prolonged period, were selected as a
control group from the rural sectors of West Bengal. Before conducting the survey, permission on the
project was obtained from Institutional Human Ethical Clearance Committee over the Indian Council of
Medical Research Guidelines.