The Effect of Chair Designs on Sitting Pressure Distribution and Tissue Perfusion

Objective:The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of five chair designs on interface pressure distribution and tissue perfusion in the buttock-thigh region.Background:Prolonged sitting has been found to contribute to the symptoms of work-related low back pain. Studies have found that chair design affects users’ sitting posture and comfort. As sitting applies pressure to the user, it is necessary to investigate how chair design affects sitting pressure and tissue perfusion during sitting.Method:We tested five chair designs (Suspension A, Suspension B, Foam A, Foam B, and bicompliant) on 15 young, healthy females. Sitting interface pressure and buttock-thigh tissue perfusion (in terms of transcutaneous partial pressure of oxygen and carbon dioxide, tcPO2 and tcPCO2, respectively) were measured during 10-min sitting on each chair.Results:We found that chair design significantly affected the distribution of the sitting pressure (p < .001) and buttock-thigh tissue perfusion (p < .023). Average pres...