Effects of two types of chairs on stature change and comfort for individuals with healthy and herniated discs

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Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine if stature change and perceived comfort are significantly different for individuals with either healthy or herniated discs when seated in a conventional chair or a sit-stand chair. Sixteen subjects were studied (5 young/healthy, 6 old/healthy, 5 old/herniated). Subjects performed a search task on a computer screen during two 2 h sessions for two consecutive days, with a different chair each day. Changes in stature were measured with a stadio-meter. General comfort and body parts discomfort rating scales were administered every 30min. The main findings were: (1) for all subjects, the sit-stand chair produces less height loss than the conventional chair; and (2) for both chairs, subjects with herniated discs lost more height than subjects with healthy discs. A positive correlation was observed for height loss and age with the sit-stand chair. Subjects with herniated discs felt relatively more uncomfortable in the conventional chair and more comfortable in the sit-stand chair compared to subjects with healthy discs. Both old healthy and young healthy subjects felt more comfortable in the conventional chair in comparison to the sit-stand chair. But, old healthy subjects had a relatively greater perception of comfort in the conventional chair compared with the younger subjects.