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The effect of dynamic sitting on trunk muscle activation: A systematic review.

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Open access
Authors
O'Sullivan, Kieran
O'Sullivan, Peter
O'Keefe, M.
O'Sullivan, L.
Dankaerts, W.
Date
2013
Type
Journal Article

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O'Sullivan, Kieran and O'Sullivan, Peter and O'Keefe, Mary and O'Sullivan, Leonard and Dankaerts, Wim. 2013. The effect of dynamic sitting on trunk muscle activation: A systematic review. Applied Ergonomics 44 (4): pp. 628-635.
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Applied Ergonomics
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NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Applied Ergonomics. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Applied Ergonomics, Vol. 44 (2013). DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2012.12.006

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Abstract

The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate the effect of dynamic sitting on trunk muscle activation in sitting. Electronic databases were searched by two independent reviewers. Studies were included if they compared the effect of dynamic sitting on trunk muscle activation to a more static sitting condition. Seven studies were eligible for inclusion, six of which were rated as “high-quality” using the PEDro scale. Five studies reported no difference in trunk muscle activation. Two studies reported a difference in trunk muscle activation, yet this was associated with increased discomfort, increased fatigue and greater spinal shrinkage. Furthermore, the changes reported in these two studies may be more related to the absence of a backrest rather than dynamic sitting. Therefore, the findings of this review suggest dynamic sitting does not significantly change trunk muscle activation. No randomised clinical trials or longitudinal design studies were found which evaluated the effect of dynamic sitting on trunk muscle activation, limiting the ability to make definitive conclusions about causality. The implications of the results, and recommendations for future research, are discussed.