Assessment of Postural Discomfort

Abstract

Tasks requiring awkward postures are common in industry and no guidelines have been developed for “good,” or safe, postures. The present study compares nine different postures in terms of subjective assessments of discomfort. Subjects (five men and five women) maintained each of the postures for ten minutes, and provided discomfort ratings on a visual analog scale. An electrogoniometer and a computerized visual feedback system enabled subjects to adopt and maintain the required postures easily. Results show that the discomfort ratings do discriminate among different postures. Postures that included lateral bending were rated as more uncomfortable than postures involving flexion and/or rotation. The findings confirm the hypothesis that some postures cause greater discomfort than others and provide a basis for developing a posture analysis system. Such a system might eventually be used to specify guidelines for posture safety limits in the industrial workplace.