Posture Studies

See Quotations Below From This Study

See Commnets Below Regarding This Study

Relaxation and Posture Exercises Help to Significantly Reduce Headaches and Neck and Shoulder Pain

Italian researchers compared two large groups of government employees over an eight-month trial period to determine the effects of an educational and physical program for office workers. One group (175) was the control group that had no interventions. The other group (169) was the study group that was asked to perform relaxation and posture exercises every two to three hours, reminded to avoid excessive muscle contractions of the neck and shoulder area, and educated with a short film, practical demonstration and training. The two groups used daily diaries to track headaches, neck, and shoulder pain, and the use of pain medication.

At the end of the trial period, the study group reported 41 percent fewer headaches compared to the control group that essentially reported no change. The study group reported 43 percent less neck and shoulder pain compared to the control group that reported a 5 percent reduction. The study group reported a 51 percent reduction in the use of pain medication compared to the control group that reported a 15 percent cut. Finally, the study group reported a reduced burden (impact on activities of daily living) of 41 percent for headaches and 54 percent for neck and shoulder pain compared to the control group that reported a reduced burden of 2 percent for headaches and 4 percent for neck and shoulder pain. People with anxiety or depression had better than average improvement compared to others in the study.

COMMENTS:

The education, training and performance of the relaxation and posture exercises were very successful for the study group. The key points to take note of are a) the use of daily dairies, b) red labels were placed around the study group’s work area as visual reminders, c) the clinician leading the study revisited the workplace to remind the group of the procedures, d) posture exercises were performed every two to three hours, e) there were two daily periods of ten to 15 minutes for quiet relaxation, f) people with anxiety or depression are typically more susceptible to headache and neck and shoulder pain, and when relieved of those pains, feel much better.

7.2 Children’s Posture and Muscle Activity at Different Computer Display Heights and During Paper Information Technology Use. Human Factors, Feb 2008.

See Comments Below Regarding This Study

Australian researchers measured 3-D posture and muscle activity in the neck and arms of 24 children age 10-12 while they performed interactive tasks such as reading from a book or computer display, writing on paper, and using a mouse and keyboard to enter data. The display and reading heights were varied in three test positions; high, mid and low level. The high display caused extension, or backward bending, of the upper neck. The low display (book-level) increased forward bending of the neck and caused the most strain on muscles and joints. The mid-level display promoted the most upright and symmetrical posture and the lowest muscle activity compared to the high or low display positions.

COMMENTS:

The researchers set out to study children because a) data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics indicated that in 2006, 80% of children aged 5 to 14 years used a computer at home, b) the rapid increase in computer use by children over the past few years "has outpaced the development of knowledge about the ramifications for the health of children,” and c) children are physically and behaviorally different from adults, for example, children’s heads are proportionately larger than those of adults. However, the results of this research are in line with the current research for all humans. Reading materials must be positioned approximately at eye level to avoid either excessive forward or backward bending of the neck.