The variability and complexity of sitting postural control are associated with discomfort

The present investigation examined the variability of sitting postural movement in relation to the development of perceived discomfort by means of linear and nonlinear analysis. Nine male subjects participated in this study. Discomfort ratings, kinetic and kinematics data were recorded during prolonged sitting. Body part discomfort index, displacement of the center of pressure (COP) in anterior-posterior and medial-lateral directions as well as lumbar curvature were calculated. Mean, standard deviation and sample entropy values were extracted from COP and lumbar curvature signals. Standard deviation and sample entropy were used to assess the degree of variability and complexity of sitting. A correlation analysis was performed to determine the correlation of each parameter with discomfort. There were no correlations between discomfort and any of the mean values. On the contrary, the standard deviations of the COP displacement in both directions and lumbar curvature were positively correlated to discomfort, whereas sample entropies were negatively correlated. The present study suggests that the increase in degree of variability and the decrease in complexity of sitting postural control are interrelated with the increase in perceived discomfort. Finally, the present study underlined the importance of quantifying motor variability for understanding the biomechanics of seated posture. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.