Spine Biomechanics Laboratories, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Ergonomics. 2009 Sep;52(9):1162-8. doi: 10.1080/00140130902936067.
Prolonged sitting with spine flexion has been linked to low back disorders. A variety of mechanisms account for this based on biomechanical and neurological variables. Airline seats typically cause pronounced lumbar flexion due to their hollowed seat back design. A pneumatic support, placed between the seat back and the lumbar spine, was tested to see if lumbar flexion was reduced. Results showed that when the seats were positioned in the upright position, 15 of 20 participants experienced reduced lumbar flexion (by 15 degrees on average) with the support. The study was repeated on the five non-responders with the seatback set in the reclined position. This resulted in another four experiencing less lumbar flexion. Since seated flexion is associated with disc stress, reducing flexion with the support reduced lumbar stress. Spine flexion that results from prolonged sitting is associated with disc stress and pain. The pneumatic support tested here reduced spine flexion. While it is not known why airline seats are designed with no lumbar support, which causes excessive lumbar flexion while seated, the pneumatic support corrected this deficit. Reclining the seatback enhanced this effect.
长时间坐姿且脊柱弯曲与下背部疾病有关。基于生物力学和神经变量，有多种机制可以解释这一现象。航空公司座椅的背部通常呈中空设计，这会导致明显的腰椎弯曲。我们测试了一种放置在座椅靠背和腰椎之间的气动支撑装置，以观察其是否能减少腰椎弯曲。结果表明，当座椅处于垂直位置时，20 名参与者中有 15 名（平均减少 15 度）在支撑装置的作用下腰椎弯曲度减小。对另外 5 名无反应者进行了同样的测试，座椅靠背调至倾斜位置。这使得另外 4 人腰椎弯曲度减小。由于坐姿弯曲会导致椎间盘受压，因此使用支撑装置减少弯曲度可降低腰椎压力。长时间坐姿导致的脊柱弯曲与椎间盘压力和疼痛有关。这里测试的气动支撑装置减少了脊柱弯曲。虽然尚不清楚为什么航空公司的座椅没有腰部支撑设计，这会导致坐姿时过度的腰椎弯曲，但气动支撑装置纠正了这一缺陷。向后倾斜座椅靠背增强了这一效果。
