Musculoskeletal biomechanical computational analysis of sitting posture and seat design

Abstract

Poor sitting posture is regarded as the main contributing factor in the development of back problems. Seat design is also an important topic in sitting study. The sitting situation for people with scoliosis is worse than healthy people. Therefore, the aim of this research is to investigate the biomechanics of sitting posture and seat design through musculoskeletal computational analysis.

The motion capture data of subjects obtained through experiments were used to drive musculoskeletal body models for analysis using LifeMOD software. The results indicate that the compressive loading condition of spine is highly dependent on the body posture. The influence of varied seat design parameters on spinal loadings has also been evaluated. The sitting stability of people with scoliosis has also been investigated and strategies have been proposed to improve the situation. This research helps advocate better sitting postures to people with different requirements, and provide guidelines for optimized seat design.