On-Site Observations of Spine Angle Data During Prolonged Office Sitting While Performing Computer-Aided Drafting Work: A Case Study

OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONS

Cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine angles were recorded from five office workers in their workplace to evaluate how individuals normally sit during a workday and to observe movement patterns. Postural data were collected continuously for 2 hours, and the development of pain/discomfort was documented concurrently. Within participants, mean spine angles varied by less than 13° over the measurement period. One initially asymptomatic participant developed discomfort in the mid-back region, and further analysis showed a distinctly different posture in the thoracic region compared to the other participants. Thus, there may be associations between differences in spine region movement and localized areas of pain development. This also highlights the potential importance of individual variations associated with pain development, accentuates the potential negative effects of remaining in an unchanged posture for a prolonged period of time, and reinforces the notion that frequent breaks or postural adjustments may be beneficial.

KEYWORDS:

• Biomechanics
• spine
• field-study
• office workers
• sitting
• computer-aided drafting

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to thank the Centre of Research Expertise for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (CRE-MSD) for funding this project. CRE-MSD had no direct involvement in the preparation of the study or manuscript. Also acknowledged is an industrial partner for their time and access to their employees.