Influence of Inflatable Anti-fatigue Mats on Center of Pressure Displacement during Prolonged Standing

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Many workers are exposed to prolonged periods of standing, which has been linked to musculoskeletal pain, discomfort and other serious health conditions. Additionally, standing desks that do not promote regular bouts of movement may also lead to prolonged standing exposures and increase the risk for pain and discomfort. Traditional foam anti-fatigue mats have been shown to increase foot pressure displacement during prolonged standing and mitigate factors associated with pain and discomfort. However, the purported efficacy of novel inflatable anti-fatigue mats to promote foot pressure displacement has not been investigated. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of inflatable anti-fatigue mats on center of pressure (COP) displacement compared to foam mat and hard surface conditions during prolonged standing. METHODS: 18 healthy individuals (Ht: 1.77±0.11m, Wt: 79.41±19.60kg, Age: 20.5±1.6yrs) stood for one hour on one of three floor conditions: Inflatable mat (IM, 3psi), foam mat (FM; EVA foam, 16mm), and hard surface (HS; force platform). Participants were instructed to stand normally at a standing desk and perform office work tasks with their feet inside the dimensions of the force platform. COP data were collected (1000Hz) for one minute at 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60min. COP data were normalized to foot position, and root mean square COP displacement (RMS) and velocity (RMSv) in the medial-lateral (x) and anterior-posterior (y) directions were calculated as the dependent variables (DV). For each DV a mixed ANOVA was conducted to investigate the between group (condition) and within group (time) differences. RESULTS: A significant main effect of condition was observed for RMSy variable [F (2, 15) = 8.24, p = .004, partial η2 = .52]. Post-hoc tests revealed that IM (2.35±1.10mm) yielded significantly more RMSy than FM (1.13±0.47mm) (p=.016) and HS (0.92±0.32mm) (p=.005). CONCLUSION: The results reveal that inflatable anti-fatigue mats induce greater COP displacement in the anterior-posterior direction compared to hard surfaces and traditional foam mats during one hour of standing. Further research is needed to investigate the relationship between COP displacement and pain/discomfort measures when an inflatable mat is utilized during prolonged standing.