The influence of different sitting postures on head/neck posture and muscle activity

Caneiro, Joao Paulo; O'Sullivan, Peter; Burnett, Angus; Barach, Avi; O'Neil, David; Tveit, Orjan; Olafsdottir, Karolina

doi:10.1016/j.math.2009.06.002

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Volume 15, Issue 1 , Pages 54-60, February 2010

The influence of different sitting postures on head/neck posture and muscle activity

Joao Paulo Caneiro
- School of Physiotherapy, Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia, Australia
- Correspondence to: Joao Paulo Caneiro, School of Physiotherapy, Building 408, Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box U1987 Perth, Western Australia 6845, Australia. Tel.: +61 8 9266 3662; fax: +61 8 9266 3699.
Peter O'Sullivan
- School of Physiotherapy, Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia, Australia
Angus Burnett
- School of Exercise, Biomedical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia, Australia
Avi Barach
- School of Physiotherapy, Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia, Australia
David O'Neil
- School of Physiotherapy, Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia, Australia
Orjan Tveit
- School of Physiotherapy, Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia, Australia
Karolina Olafsdottir
- School of Physiotherapy, Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia, Australia

Received 3 March 2009; received in revised form 21 May 2009; accepted 17 June 2009. published online 30 July 2009.

Abstract

To date the influence that specific sitting posture has on the head/neck posture and cervico-thoracic muscle activity has been insufficiently investigated. Therefore the aim of this study was to investigate whether three different thoraco-lumbar sitting postures affect head/neck posture and cervico-thoracic muscle activity.

Twenty (10 men, 10 women) asymptomatic subjects were placed in 3 standardized thoraco-lumbar sitting postures (lumbo-pelvic, thoracic upright and slump) to investigate their influence on cervico-thoracic muscle activity and head/neck posture.

There were significant differences in lumbar and thoracic curvatures in the 3 different sitting postures (P<0.002). Slump sitting was associated with greater head/neck flexion, anterior translation of the head (P<0.001) and increased muscle activity of cervical erector spinae (CES) compared to thoracic and lumbo-pelvic sitting (P=0.001). Thoracic upright sitting showed increased muscle activity of thoracic erector spinae (TES) compared to slump and lumbo-pelvic postures (P=0.015). Upper trapezius (UT) demonstrated no significant difference in muscle activation in the 3 sitting postures (P<0.991). This study demonstrates that different sitting postures affect head/neck posture and cervico-thoracic muscle activity. It highlights the potential importance of thoraco-lumbar spine postural adjustment when training head/neck posture.