Smart sensor equipped chair may help office workers reduce their back
pain woes

Date:
October 27, 2021
Source:
Tohoku University
Summary:
The chair identifies sitting behavior associated with worsening
low back pain, warning workers so they can get up and move around
before the pain worsens.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
Low back pain (LBP) is no stranger to office workers. In Japan, 1 out
of 10 otherwise healthy office workers suffer from LBP. Stretching and
exercise help alleviate the pain, but workers often do this when it is
too late. But what if our chairs could alert us before the pain worsens?

==========================================================================
Now, researchers at Tohoku University have developed a new prediction
method that employs pressure sensors installed on a conventional office
chair. The "smart chairs" sensors detect workers' movements on the chair dynamically and quantitatively.

The smart chair was tested in a real-life setting outside of the
lab. Amassing data from 22 study participants over a period of
three months, the research group combed through the information to
investigate the dynamics of sitting behavior and identify a predictable
LBP progression.

Further aided by various machine learning methods, the researchers
discovered a common motif present in the sitting behavior of most
participants. They pinpointed small motions in the body trunk that
prevent the fixation of vertebral joints, therefore avoiding LBP's
progression. The frequency of this motif could be used to predict the
worsening of LBP throughout the day when compared to a morning reference
state.

The research group hopes to apply the technology to other areas of
the body.

"Although the current method focused on LBP, we hope to collect data
relating to head and neck regions to be able to predict and prevent
stiff necks and headaches, said paper coauthor Ryoichi Nagatomi.

The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Tohoku_University. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Ziheng Wang, Keizo Sato, Saida Salima Nawrin, Namareq Salah
Widatalla,
Yoshitaka Kimura, Ryoichi Nagatomi. Low Back Pain Exacerbation Is
Predictable Through Motif Identification in Center of Pressure Time
Series Recorded During Dynamic Sitting. Frontiers in Physiology,
2021; 12 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.696077 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211027122109.htm

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