ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENT PREVENTIVE MEASURES TO IMPROVE HOME OFFICE ERGONOMICS – RESULTS FROM A STUDY ON THE FIRST WAVE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN LATVIA

Introduction: Telework, also known as remote work, distance work, telecommuting, was gaining popularity already before the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite benefits, telework can also cause workers' mental and physical health, and forced telework during the COVID-19 pandemic has promoted the onset of these problems. Objectives: The objective of the study was to analyze the management of ergonomics in teleworking workplaces and the association between pain longer than three days and preventive measures provided by employers in Latvia during the 1st emergency restrictions, which were in force between 12 March and 9 June 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Web-survey was used to gather information from respondents – workers. In total, 1006 workers fully filled in the questionnaire in October 2020. Four hundred eighty-three teleworkers of both genders were identified. Results: 35.7% of respondents reported pain longer than three days. The odds of pain were increased in case of lack of all analyzed preventive measures. For those who reported not being provided with a computer and other IT equipment OR for pain was 1.50 (CI 0.95-2.37). Even higher OR was observed in case of not receiving advice on how to arrange an ergonomic workstation (OR= 2.37, CI 1.32-4.25) and not having identified working conditions (OR= 2.61, CI 1.43-4.77). The highest risk was observed if the employer had not provided an office table and office chair (OR=5.46, CI 1.78-16.80). Conclusion: Teleworkers not receiving support from the employer on the arrangement of home offices have an increased risk of having pain for longer than three days. Provision of an office worktable, an office chair, advice on how to arrange an ergonomic workplace and provision of workplace risk assessment are key measures to be taken by the employer to improve home office ergonomics of their workers.

The lengths of spinal curvature stretch due to the angles of sitting on saddle chair to alleviate back pain: A statistical analysis

BACKGROUND: By dividing the burden of one’s weight between the shins and the buttocks in the sitting position on an office or saddle chair, a person can avoid back pain. In this 21st century, sitting on a chair for long hours in workplace on office chair is unavoidable necessity and hence, millions in different countries undergo a risk for backpain. Is there a right sitting position? OBJECTIVE: The aim of this article is to find out how much a correlation exists between the angle of sitting and the length of spinal curvature which is the source of backpain. An experiment can be designed and carried out to measure various angles in sitting and the changing length of the person’s length of spinal cord curvature. METHOD: The usual statistical methodology requires a pair of values namely x and y to quantify the correlation. The data on sitting angles and the length of spinal curvature do not have such pairing, and hence, the traditional approach to find the correlation between the sitting angle and length of spinal curvature is not applicable. Yet, an approach is necessary. This article constructs an innovative statistical approach to fulfil this need. RESULTS: Our approach yields a correlation of 0.998 for sitting on office chair and an increased correlation of 0.999 on saddle chair, according to the Truszczy'nska-Baszaka et al.’s data. CONCLUSIONS: An adjustment is made in various angles of sitting on office chair to transform the comfortable sitting on a saddle chair. In consequence, the proportional effect on the spinal curvature is estimable with the data and it is phenomenal (that is significantly more than one). No wonder people prefer saddle chair over office chair when it comes to avoid back pain and this article proves the convenience statistically.

Is active sitting on a dynamic office chair controlled by the trunk muscles?

Today’s office chairs are not known to promote active sitting or to activate the lumbar trunk muscles, both of which functions are ergonomically recommended. This study investigated a newly developed dynamic office chair with a moveable seat, specifically designed to promote trunk muscle controlled active sitting. The study aimed to determine the means by which the seat movement was controlled during active sitting. This was accomplished by quantifying trunk and thigh muscular activity and body kinematics. Additionally, the effect of increased spinal motion on muscular activity and body kinematics was analysed. Ten subjects were equipped with reflective body markers and surface electromyography on three lumbar back muscles (multifidus, iliocostalis, longissimus) and two thigh muscles (vastus lateralis and medialis). Subjects performed a reading task during static and active sitting in spontaneous and maximum ranges of motion in a simulated office laboratory setting. The temporal muscle activation pattern, average muscle activity and body segment kinematics were analysed and compared using Friedman and post-hoc Wilcoxon tests (p≤0.05). Active sitting on the new chair significantly affected the lumbar trunk muscles, with characteristic cyclic unloading/loading in response to the seat movement. Neither thigh muscle activity nor lateral body weight shift were substantially affected by active sitting. When participants increased their range of motion, the lumbar back muscles were activated for longer and relaxation times were shorter. The characteristic activity pattern of the lumbar trunk muscles was shown to be the most likely dominant factor in controlling seat movement during active sitting. Consequently, the new chair may have a potential positive impact on back health during prolonged sitting. Further studies are necessary to analyse the frequency and intensity of active sitting during daily office work.