Correlation Between Pain Intensity and Trunk Sway in Seated Posture Among Office Workers with Chronic Spinal Pain: A...

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Ergonomics
• Pain Management

Background:

• Chronic spinal pain affects numerous office workers.
• Postural control is crucial for maintaining comfort and reducing musculoskeletal stress during prolonged sitting.
• The relationship between pain intensity and sitting postural control in this population is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between pain intensity and trunk sitting postural control in office workers with chronic spinal pain.
• To explore how real-time postural control metrics relate to self-reported pain levels.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study involving 10 office workers with chronic spinal pain.
• Utilized field-based real-time inertial sensors to measure trunk sitting postural control.
• Assessed pain intensity using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) before and after work.
• Analyzed center of pressure (COP) displacements using linear and nonlinear metrics (sway range, velocity, Hurst exponent, sample entropy).

Main Results:

• Significant correlations were observed between pain intensity and specific postural control metrics (r = -0.860 to 0.855; p < 0.05).
• Higher pain intensity was associated with reduced postural variability.
• Findings suggest a potential link between increased pain and altered trunk posture dynamics.

Conclusions:

• Preliminary evidence suggests that increased pain intensity may impair sitting postural control in office workers with chronic spinal pain.
• Understanding these trunk posture dynamics could guide the development of targeted ergonomic interventions.
• Further research is warranted to confirm these findings and explore clinical applications for reducing musculoskeletal stress and improving sitting comfort.