The influence of posture on respiratory mechanics was investigated in 10 healthy volunteers, using the forced pseudorandom noise technique. Subjects were studied in four randomly selected positions: sitting; sitting with the head turned sideways; supine; and prone with the head turned sideways. Respiratory compliance (Crs), inertance (Irs) and resistance estimated at 4 Hz (R4), were calculated ...

Background Sitting posture is a common aggravating factor for pain both at the cervical and lumbar spine regions, with extended periods of sitting associated with increased discomfort at the neck and upper and lower back. Sitting postures independently adopted by asymptomatic individuals in comparison to theorized ‘optimal’ sitting postures have not been fully evaluated (O’Sullivan et al., 2010...

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of the sitting posture on the lower limb venous flow and to explore the beneficial effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and an ottoman-type seat on the venous flow. Healthy adult volunteers without a history of lower limb surgery or thromboembolism were recruited, and the flow velocity, cross-sectional area, and flow volume of t...

Although resting is one of the dominant behaviors of foregut-fermenting primates (i.e., colobines), their resting posture has rarely received attention. We hypothesize that colobines are more constrained in their resting position than hindgut-fermenting primates and that colobines assume a sitting resting position for specific reasons. To test this hypothesis, we followed two approaches. First,...

OBJECTIVES To determine (1) whether the shear modulus in upper trapezius muscle myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) reduces acutely after dry needling (DN), and (2) whether a change in posture from sitting to prone affects the shear modulus. DESIGN Ultrasound images were acquired in B mode with a linear transducer oriented in the transverse plane, followed by performance of shear-wave elastogra...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine and verify the optimal location of the motion axis (MA) for the seat of a dynamic office chair. BACKGROUND A dynamic seat that supports pelvic motion may improve physical well-being and decrease the risk of sitting-associated disorders. However, office work requires an undisturbed view on the work task, which means a stable position of the uppe...

The objectives of this study were to determine whether there is a change in the pelvic inclination after about 30 min of slump sitting by seated workers, and if so, to determine whether these changes can be prevented by the application of anterior pelvic tilt taping (APTT). The subjects who consented to participate in the experiment were randomly allocated to two groups: no-APTT group and APTT ...

Here we report the resting metabolic rate in barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) and provide evidence for the significant energetic effect of posture. Under laboratory conditions flow-through respirometry together with synchronous recording of behaviour enabled a calculation of how metabolic rate varies with posture. Our principal finding is that standing bipedally incurs a 25% increase in metabo...

Asymmetrical hand use by rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) was investigated in a series of tactually and visually guided tasks. The 1st experiment recorded manual preferences of 29 monkeys for solving a haptic discrimination task in a hanging posture. There was a left-hand population bias: 21 monkeys had a left-hand bias, 4 a right-hand bias, and 4 no bias. The 2nd experiment, 4 tasks with 23 to ...

Vital capacity, frequently measured clinically as an index of pulmonary function, gives useful information about the strength of respiratory muscles and other aspects of lung functions. It is generally noted in sitting position. As in the supine position, respiratory excursions of diaphragm is highest in normal breathing, this study was planned to note whether there occurred any alteration in v...