Affiliations: [a] College of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao, Shandong, China | [b] Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore | [c] School of Engineering, Deakin University, Geelong Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia | [d] Department of Medical Biotechnology, Dongguk University, Seoul, Korea
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Mengjie Huang, College of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao 266580, Shandong, China. Tel.: +86 13553032426; Fax: +86 532 86983300; E-mail:hmj@upc.edu.cn
Abstract: BACKGROUND: There have been some disagreements on the comparison of
disc pressures in the standing and sitting postures in literature. Most
research on in vivo pressure needle measurement found higher disc pressure in
sitting than in standing. The disc pressure data can help to advocate better
postures for clinical advice. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper is to develop a procedure to study
the compressive load on intervertebral joint in the standing and sitting
postures through the approach of motion capture and musculoskeletal
modeling. METHODS: The marker data of six subjects performing various
standing and sitting postures was obtained during the motion capture
experiment and used to train the musculoskeletal model with an enhanced
discretized spine developed for subject in the inverse and forward
simulations. RESULTS: Compressive loads on L3-L4 and L4-L5 joints are found
higher in upright sitting than in upright standing. Slumped sitting,
cross-legged sitting and flexion sitting can introduce higher compressive
loads on intervertebral joints compared with upright sitting. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate the effects of standing and
sitting postures on the spinal joint loads. The results can provide doctors
and therapists with more information on clinical advice on better postures
for people with spinal problems.
