Sitting and Low Back Pain Sitting with Rotary Continuous Passive Motion a New Seating Concept

Abstract

A static spinal load, such as during prolonged periods of sitting, seems to be a provocative factor in the development of Low Back Pain (LBP). Patients with LBP usually experience increasing pain during sitting. To investigate the negative influence of this static component during sitting we decided to examine the influence of dynamic rotary stimuli on patients during sitting. Three different investigations done with the minor stimulation of 1.2-degree cyclic rotation are described here.

I. 120 a-selective LBP-patients were asked to sit on an experimental chair for an unbroken period of one hour. They were randomly divided into two groups. One group was subjected to dynamic stimuli which were generated by alternating rotations in the horizontal plane of the seat of the chair, with the back and arm rests in fixed position. Two different frequencies of rotation were applied to subgroups. The effect on low back pain was measured by an open visual analogous scale (VAS). There was a significant difference on pain experience in these two groups. Rotary dynamic stimuli especially of the lower frequency, reduced pain in prolonged sitting.

II. In a second investigation 60 a-selective LBP-patients were tested in the same way on two other frequencies. In this investigation the results of 21 patients, who were in the control group of the first trial, proved very interesting. There was a significant improvement and none of these patients had a higher individual score than in the previous test.

III. In a third investigation, the time-related response of swelling in the lower extremities was investigated in the normal static sitting condition during three hours and in sitting with continuous low-frequent rotary movements. A significant difference was found for lower leg swelling between the static and dynamic situation.

The authors concluded that rotary stimuli, especially at the lower frequency, reduce the development of pain in prolonged sitting. Dynamic sitting also results in a better blood circulation of the lower extremities. The use of dynamic stimuli could produce a new seating concept.