title: Neutral lumbar spine sitting posture in pain-free subjects.
abstract: Sitting is a common aggravating factor in low back pain (LBP), and re-education of sitting posture is a common aspect of LBP management. However, there is debate regarding what is an optimal sitting posture. This pilot study had 2 aims; to investigate whether pain-free subjects can be reliably positioned in a neutral sitting posture (slight lumbar lordosis and relaxed thorax); and to compare perceptions of neutral sitting posture to habitual sitting posture (HSP). The lower lumbar spine HSP of seventeen pain-free subjects was initially recorded. Subjects then assumed their own subjectively perceived ideal posture (SPIP). Finally, 2 testers independently positioned the subjects into a tester perceived neutral posture (TPNP). The inter-tester reliability of positioning in TPNP was very good (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.91, mean difference = 3% of range of motion). A repeated measures ANOVA revealed that HSP was significantly more flexed than both SPIP and TPNP (p <0.05). There was no significant difference between SPIP and TPNP (p > 0.05). HSP was more kyphotic than all other postures. This study suggests that pain-free subjects can be reliably positioned in a neutral lumbar sitting posture. Further investigation into the role of neutral sitting posture in LBP subjects is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Physiotherapy Department, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland. kieran.osullivan@ul.ie
authors.forename: Kieran
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: O'Dea
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dankaerts
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Clifford
authors.forename: Leonard
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002138:Calibration; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000517:prevention & control; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000502:physiology*; D008161:Lumbosacral Region / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D011187:Posture; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D055815:Young Adult