Postural shifts and body perceived discomfort during 1-hour sitting when leaning and sitting on an air-filled seat cushion among healthy office workers.

This study compared the number of postural shifts and perceived discomfort while leaning and sitting on an air-filled seat cushion for 1 hour. Sixty office workers typed a standard text while leaning on a cushion placed behind the low back, sitting on a cushion placed under the buttocks, and sitting without a cushion (a control condition). The number of postural shifts was collected using a seat pressure mat device. Low back discomfort was assessed using the Borg CR-10 scale. Leaning on a seat cushion (22 shifts/h) led to a significantly higher number of postural shifts than sitting on a seat cushion (18 shifts/h) and the control condition (20 shifts/h). Leaning or sitting on a seat cushion significantly decreased low back discomfort compared to the control condition (p < 0.05). Leaning on a seat cushion placed behind the low back may be an effective means of preventing low back pain among office workers.

During prolonged sitting, using a seat cushion, whether leaning or sitting on it, may be more efficient in preventing low back pain compared to not using one. Particularly, leaning on a seat cushion led to more postural shifts during sitting compared to sitting on one or not using any.