3D anatomy and deformation of the seated buttocks

To describe the 3D anatomy and deformation of the buttocks during sitting.

The buttocks of 4 able-bodied individuals and 3 individuals with spinal cord injury were scanned sitting in a FONAR Upright MRI. T1-weighted Fast Spin Echo scans were collected with the individuals seated on a custom wheelchair cushion to unload the ischial tuberosities (ITs) and seated on a 3 inch foam cushion. Multi-planar scans were analyzed, and the muscle, bone and adipose tissue was manually segmented for 3D rendering and analysis of the quantity, geometry, and location of tissues.

The gluteus maximus was positioned lateral and posterior to the IT, covering the inferior portion of the IT for only 2 able-bodied participants. Adipose thickness directly under the IT did not differ by diagnosis, nor did it have a consistent response to loading. However, the envelopment of the IT by the surrounding adipose tissue was much greater in two of the participants with spinal cord injuries. These two subjects also had the most curved skin surface as the tissue wrapped around the IT. Tissue strains around the ischium were most visible in the adipose and connective tissue. The gluteus maximus displaced and distorted upwards, posterior and lateral, away from the inferior IT.

Multi-planar imaging is necessary to investigate anatomy and deformation of the buttocks. 5 out of 7 participants did not sit directly on muscle. The tissue beneath their ITs was predominantly composed of fat and connective tissue, suggesting that these tissues might be most vulnerable to injury.