Relationship Between Cervical, Thoracic, and Lumbar Spinal Alignments in Automotive Seated Posture

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Spinal Imaging
• Automotive Ergonomics

Background:

• Understanding spinal alignment in seated postures is crucial for occupant comfort and safety.
• Previous research has not fully elucidated the interrelationships between different spinal regions in automotive seating.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spinal alignments in automotive occupants.
• To identify representative spinal alignment patterns and their correlations.

Main Methods:

• Re-analysis of upright open magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data of automotive occupants in a seated posture.
• Extraction of vertebral body geometrical centers to represent spinal alignments.
• Application of multidimensional scaling (MDS) for analyzing cervical, thoracic, and lumbar alignments separately.

Main Results:

• A significant correlation was identified between cervical and thoracic spinal alignments.
• Subjects with kyphotic cervical alignment showed less kyphotic thoracic alignment.
• Subjects with lordotic cervical alignment exhibited more kyphotic thoracic alignment.
• No prominent relationship was found between cervical and thoracic alignments with lumbar spinal alignment.

Conclusions:

• Cervical and thoracic spinal alignments are interdependent in the automotive seated posture.
• Lumbar spinal alignment demonstrated independence from cervical and thoracic alignments in this specific seated context.
• Findings contribute to understanding spinal biomechanics in automotive environments.