In VivoSpinal Posture during Upright and Reclined Sitting in an Office Chair

Abstract

Increasing numbers of people spend the majority of their working lives seated in an office chair. Musculoskeletal disorders, in particular low back pain, resulting from prolonged static sitting are ubiquitous, but regularly changing sitting position throughout the day is thought to reduce back problems. Nearly all currently available office chairs offer the possibility to alter the backrest reclination angles, but the influence of changing seating positions on the spinal column remains unknown. In an attempt to better understand the potential to adjust or correct spine posture using adjustable seating, five healthy subjects were analysed in an upright and reclined sitting position conducted in an open, upright MRI scanner. The shape of the spine, as described using the vertebral bodies' coordinates, wedge angles, and curvature angles, showed high inter-subject variability between the two seating positions. The mean lumbar, thoracic, and cervical curvature angles were 29 ± 15°, −29 ± 4°, and 13 ± 8° for the upright and 33 ± 12°, −31 ± 7°, and 7 ± 7° for the reclined sitting positions. Thus, a wide range of seating adaptation is possible through modification of chair posture, and dynamic seating options may therefore provide a key feature in reducing or even preventing back pain caused by prolonged static sitting.

Application of Machine Learning Approaches for Classifying Sitting Posture Based on Force and Acceleration Sensors

“…These authors also highlighted the difference in muscular activity in the back between the different sitting positions and the different inclination angles of the backrest [10]. Furthermore, while changing position from an upright to a reclined as well as to a forward inclined sitting position, the chair user can adapt the position of the intervertebral discs [12, 13]. Thus, most chair manufacturers now provide sitting facilities that incorporate a variety of sitting positions.…”

Impact of a Sit-Stand Workstation on Chronic Low Back Pain

“…[10][11][12] With the hopes of enabling a healthier workforce in the future, researchers have been investigating the potential relationship between static work postures and the development of musculoskeletal disorders 6,[13][14][15] as well as proposing various office interventions to help alleviate these musculoskeletal disorders. [16][17][18] It is generally agreed upon by ergonomists that regular movement and seat posture variation can lead to an improvement in spinal health. 19 One potential cause of LBP might be the deconditioning of the lumbar spine that results when sitting-the lumbar muscles are minimally activated and passive structures, such as ligaments intervertebral discs, receive a significant increase in load.…”

Disfunções Posturais No Uso Dos Laptops Relacionado À Sintomatologia Dolorosa Sobre a Coluna Vertebral

“…Uma vez que esses aparelhos tornaram-se indispensáveis ao cotidiano, sua utilização cresceu de tal forma, que faz parte do convívio de todas as faixas etárias. Desta forma, quando esses dispositivos informatizados são utilizados de maneira exorbitante, podem afetar adversamente músculos do pescoço, parte superior das costas, ombros e braços, levando a fadiga muscular 3,4,10,15,[18][19][20] .…”

“…Com o crescimento da utilização desses aparelhos, torna-se necessário a realização de estudos ergonômicos voltados para a utilização correta desses dispositivos, com o objetivo de prevenir danos sobre as estruturas do corpo, uma vez que a sobrecarga gerada sobre o sistema musculoesquelético pode desencadear desde sintomatologia dolorosa até incapacidades funcionais. Como contramedida a esses danos, existe a intervenção da ergonomia que visa livrar os usuários de problemas relacionados à saúde [4][5][6][7][8][9][10] .…”