Effects of Using Dynamic Office Chairs on Posture and EMG in Standardized Office Tasks

Ellegast, Rolf; Hamburger, Rene; Keller, Kathrin; Krause, Frank; Groenesteijn, Liesbeth; Vink, P.; Berger, Helmut

doi:10.1007/978-3-540-73333-1_5

Cited by 8 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 6 publications

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“…A large proportion of them has a sedentary occupation. In some service sectors, 77% to 86% of employees work at a computer [4]. A descriptive study of more than 35,000 French workers shows that the average sitting time is 11.3 hours per day.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A novel motorized office chair causes low-amplitude spinal movements and activates trunk muscles: A cross-over trial

Schäfer,

Platen

2023

PLoS ONE

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Introduction Inactivity and long periods of sitting are common in our society, even though they pose a health risk. Dynamic sitting is recommended to reduce this risk. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of continuous passive motion (CPM) conducted by a novel motorized office chair on lumbar lordosis and trunk muscle activation, oxygen uptake and attentional control. Study design Randomized, single-session, crossover with two periods/conditions. Methods Twenty office workers (50% women) sat for one hour on the motorized chair, one half with CPM, the other not. The starting condition (CPM/no CPM) was switched in half of the sample. The participants were equipped with a spirometric cart, surface EMG, the Epionics SPINE system and performed a computer-based test for attentional control (AX-CPT). Outcomes were lumbar sagittal movements and posture, number of trunk muscle activations, attentional control and energy expenditure. Results The CPM of the chair causes frequent low-amplitude changes in lumbar lordosis angle (moved: 498 ± 133 vs. static: 45 ± 38) and a higher number of muscle activations. A periodic movement pattern of the lumbar spine according to the movement of the chair was observed in every participant, although, sitting behavior varied highly between individuals. Attentional control was not altered in the moved condition (p = .495; d = .16). Further, oxygen uptake did not increase higher than 1.5 MET. Conclusion The effects of the motorized chair can be particularly useful for people with static sitting behavior. Further studies should investigate, whether CPM provides the assumed beneficial effects of dynamic sitting on the spine.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A novel motorized office chair causes low-amplitude spinal movements and activates trunk muscles: A cross-over trial

Schäfer,

Platen

2023

PLoS ONE

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Research on the Comfort of Human Upper Back in Different Seat Back Angles

Luo¹,

Hu²,

Wu³

2020

Man-Machine-Environment System Engineering

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Influences of continuous sitting and psychosocial stress on low back kinematics, kinetics, discomfort, and localized muscle fatigue during unsupported sitting activities

Jia

Nussbaum

2018

Ergonomics

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Continuous seated postures may increase the risk of adverse health outcomes such as low-back pain, and this risk may be influenced by several modifying factors. In the present study, we aimed to quantify the effects of continuous sitting and psychosocial stress under an unsupported sitting condition. Fourteen participants completed continuous, 40 min. periods of computer-based tasks, involving both low and higher levels of psychosocial stress, while using a laptop computer without a desk. Continuous sitting significantly increased perceived discomfort (particularly in the upper and lower back), trunk flexion and metrics of localized muscle fatigue. A higher level of psychosocial stress increased estimated lumbosacral compression forces (by ∼12%). Only weak correlations were found between subjective and objective measures, while various fatigue metrics showed a good level of correspondence with each other. These results could support the future evaluation or design of diverse seated work configurations. Practitioner Summary: Continuous, 40 min. periods of unsupported sitting had broad impacts on subjective and objective outcomes, including discomfort, postures, spine loads and localized muscle fatigue, while psychosocial stress only had a substantial influence on lumbosacral compression. These results extend our understanding of sitting behaviors and provide information for designing future sitting environments.

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Effects of Using Dynamic Office Chairs on Posture and EMG in Standardized Office Tasks

Cited by 8 publications

References 6 publications

A novel motorized office chair causes low-amplitude spinal movements and activates trunk muscles: A cross-over trial

A novel motorized office chair causes low-amplitude spinal movements and activates trunk muscles: A cross-over trial

Research on the Comfort of Human Upper Back in Different Seat Back Angles

Influences of continuous sitting and psychosocial stress on low back kinematics, kinetics, discomfort, and localized muscle fatigue during unsupported sitting activities

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