Chiroindex.org - Index To Chiropractic Literature

My ICL Sign In

Sunday, November 24, 2024

For best results switch to Advanced Search.

Article Detail

Return to Search Results

18227

Title

Biomechanical effects of a lumbar support in a mattress

URL

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1840018/

Journal

J Can Chiropr Assoc. 2005 Jun;49(2):96-101

Author(s)

Subject(s)

Peer Review

Yes

Publication Type

Article

Abstract/Notes

For many patients with chronic low back pain, the lack of sleep and sufficient rest period that allows some relaxation is a major obstacle to a good quality of life. During sleep periods, neuromuscular activity is at a minimal level. The major factor influencing the forces on the body, and particularly the spine, is gravity. The force of gravity is sufficient to deform soft tissues when the body is resting on a mattress. Thus, the goal of this study is to measure the contact pressure forces acting on the spine with and without an inflatable support in variousexperimental conditions. Our hypothesis is that a lumbar support will distribute the force of gravity more uniformly over the pelvic, lumbar and thoracic areas, maintaining the lumbar lordosis, in a supine posture. In this study, 10 participants were tested when lying supine in six separate experimental conditions. These conditions varied according to the surface (no mattress, foam, mattress) and the fact that the support was inflated or not. The dependent variable measured was the contact pressure. It was measured using a pressure sensor mat(Tekscan™). When the cushion was inflated the distribution of contact pressure in the different areas (pelvic, lumbar and thoracic) was modified. The comparison of the mean forces revealed that when the cushion was not inflated, the pressure distribution was mainly localized in the pelvic area. After the cushion was inflated, a significant decrease of contact pressure in the pelvic region and a significant increase in the lumbar area were observed. Our results confirm the hypothesis that a lumbar support inserted in a mattress allows amore homogenous distribution of contact pressure over the pelvic, lumbar and thoracic areas during supine posture. The use of an inflatable cushion favouring a transition of the contact pressure from the pelvic to the lumbar region could potentially limit unfavourable compressive and shearing forces acting on the lumbar spine.

Full text is available free online for this article; click on the above link. This abstract is reproduced with the permission of the publisher.

Text (Citation) Tagged (Export) Excel

Email To
Subject
Message
Format	HTML Text Excel

To use this feature you must register a personal account in My ICL. Registration is free! In My ICL you can save your ICL searches in My Searches, and you can save search results in My Collections. Be sure to use the Held Citations feature to collect citations from an entire search session. Read more search tips.

Sign Into Existing My ICL Account | Register A New My ICL Account