The effect of a backrest and seatpan inclination on sitting discomfort and trunk muscle activation in subjects with extension-related low back pain
Few studies have demonstrated that seating modifications reduce low back pain (LBP). One recent study found that a forward-inclined seatpan reduced low back discomfort (LBD), however this was only examined in people with flexion-related LBP. No study has yet investigated its effectiveness among peop...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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Taylor & Francis Ltd.
2014
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/5614 |
| _version_ | 1848744846111539200 |
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| author | Curran, M. Dankaerts, W. O'Sullivan, Peter O'Sullivan, L. O'Sullivan, Keiran |
| author_facet | Curran, M. Dankaerts, W. O'Sullivan, Peter O'Sullivan, L. O'Sullivan, Keiran |
| author_sort | Curran, M. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Few studies have demonstrated that seating modifications reduce low back pain (LBP). One recent study found that a forward-inclined seatpan reduced low back discomfort (LBD), however this was only examined in people with flexion-related LBP. No study has yet investigated its effectiveness among people with extension-related LBP. This crossover study examined 12 subjects with extension-related LBP. Sitting discomfort and surface electromyography of three trunk muscles were recorded during a 10-minute typing task while sitting with two different seatpan inclinations, both with and without a backrest. LBD (p < 0.001) and overall body discomfort (OBD) ( p = 0.016) were significantly greater on the forward-inclined seatpan. The backrest did not alter trunk muscle activation or sitting discomfort. The results demonstrate that in a specific subgroup of people with extension-related LBP, increasing forward seatpan inclination significantly increased LBD and OBD. Future research should consider matching ergonomics prescriptions according to the individual presentation of people with LBP. Practitioner Summary: Sitting on a forward-inclined seatpan resulted in greater low back discomfort and overall body discomfort than sitting on a flat seatpan during a typing task among people with extension-related low back pain (LBP). Future research should examine matching ergonomics prescriptions to the individual presentation of people with LBP. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T06:07:57Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-5614 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T06:07:57Z |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Ltd. |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-56142018-03-29T09:05:42Z The effect of a backrest and seatpan inclination on sitting discomfort and trunk muscle activation in subjects with extension-related low back pain Curran, M. Dankaerts, W. O'Sullivan, Peter O'Sullivan, L. O'Sullivan, Keiran office ergonomics seating musculoskeletal disorders Back pain Few studies have demonstrated that seating modifications reduce low back pain (LBP). One recent study found that a forward-inclined seatpan reduced low back discomfort (LBD), however this was only examined in people with flexion-related LBP. No study has yet investigated its effectiveness among people with extension-related LBP. This crossover study examined 12 subjects with extension-related LBP. Sitting discomfort and surface electromyography of three trunk muscles were recorded during a 10-minute typing task while sitting with two different seatpan inclinations, both with and without a backrest. LBD (p < 0.001) and overall body discomfort (OBD) ( p = 0.016) were significantly greater on the forward-inclined seatpan. The backrest did not alter trunk muscle activation or sitting discomfort. The results demonstrate that in a specific subgroup of people with extension-related LBP, increasing forward seatpan inclination significantly increased LBD and OBD. Future research should consider matching ergonomics prescriptions according to the individual presentation of people with LBP. Practitioner Summary: Sitting on a forward-inclined seatpan resulted in greater low back discomfort and overall body discomfort than sitting on a flat seatpan during a typing task among people with extension-related low back pain (LBP). Future research should examine matching ergonomics prescriptions to the individual presentation of people with LBP. 2014 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/5614 10.1080/00140139.2014.897378 Taylor & Francis Ltd. restricted |
| spellingShingle | office ergonomics seating musculoskeletal disorders Back pain Curran, M. Dankaerts, W. O'Sullivan, Peter O'Sullivan, L. O'Sullivan, Keiran The effect of a backrest and seatpan inclination on sitting discomfort and trunk muscle activation in subjects with extension-related low back pain |
| title | The effect of a backrest and seatpan inclination on sitting discomfort and trunk muscle activation in subjects with extension-related low back pain |
| title_full | The effect of a backrest and seatpan inclination on sitting discomfort and trunk muscle activation in subjects with extension-related low back pain |
| title_fullStr | The effect of a backrest and seatpan inclination on sitting discomfort and trunk muscle activation in subjects with extension-related low back pain |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effect of a backrest and seatpan inclination on sitting discomfort and trunk muscle activation in subjects with extension-related low back pain |
| title_short | The effect of a backrest and seatpan inclination on sitting discomfort and trunk muscle activation in subjects with extension-related low back pain |
| title_sort | effect of a backrest and seatpan inclination on sitting discomfort and trunk muscle activation in subjects with extension-related low back pain |
| topic | office ergonomics seating musculoskeletal disorders Back pain |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/5614 |