Improving Sitting Postures: A Pilot Intervention Using a Wearable Posture Support System

OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONS

Prolonged sitting either at work or due to a sedentary lifestyle increases potential risks to the musculoskeletal systems. Various administrative and engineering controls have been proposed to address the effects of prolonged sitting, yet prolonged sitting combined with certain postures could have even greater adverse impacts on the human body. The results of this study provide preliminary evidence that sustained posture adjustment via a posture support system could be effective in slowing fatigue development and reducing postural loads during prolonged sitting. Future larger-scale studies are required, though, to better understand the underlying mechanisms involved and the long-term performance of such an intervention strategy in reducing the effects of prolonged sitting.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT

Background: Improvements in technology have created an increase in sedentary lifestyles, which include more prolonged sitting with decreased physical demands. Sitting for prolonged periods can lead to adverse outcomes, including musculoskeletal disorders. Prolonged sitting, combined with particular postures, could have even more detrimental impacts. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential effects of a wearable posture support system (PSS) on sitting posture. The long-term goal of this research is to facilitate a better understanding of the risks related to sitting and to develop intervention strategies for prolonged sitting. Methods: Twelve participants, each of whom had greater-than-normal cervical/thoracic spine curvature, completed two testing sessions involving prolonged sitting. Between the two sessions, participants were asked to wear the PSS for six weeks, which was designed to correct their postures continuously. Outcome measures obtained to evaluate the effects of the PSS included trunk muscle electromyography as a sign of muscle fatigue and the gravitational weight line as an indicator of a postural load. Results: After wearing the PSS, there was a slower development of muscle fatigue and evidence of reduced postural loads (smaller gravity weight line). Conclusion: The use of the PSS appeared to successfully influence sitting postures in a way that reduced some adverse influences of prolonged sitting. While further work is needed to determine the impacts of individual differences and work environments on the performance of the PSS, these results may be useful in developing a long-term intervention strategy to reduce the effects of prolonged sitting.

Keywords:

• Prolonged sitting
• sitting posture
• intervention
• posture support system
• back disorders

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Dr. Romina Ghassemia for her clinical support and helpful feedback adapted in this work.

Conflict of interests

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Funding

The authors received funding for this study from Think Healthy Inc. Sponsor provided technique support in terms of application of the system. The results and conclusion reported in this paper are independent from funding sources.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later 2008 amendments or comparable ethical standards.