Weight Shifting Strategies and Discomfort during Prolonged Standing

Abstract

Over half of the top ten occupations in the United States require prolonged standing, translating to nearly 3.2 million people who spend the majority of their workday standing ( Occupational Employment Statistics, 2014). Continual exposure to muscle fatigue, blood pooling, and cartilage compression due to prolonged standing may lead to long term injuries and damage. Current interventions show limited effectiveness in situ and in laboratory settings. The goal of this study is to investigate how weight shifting strategies may be used to alleviate discomfort. Seven subjects stood for one hour and reported their discomfort while weight distribution data was collected. Strategy significantly affected discomfort for overall tiredness (p < 0.0001), leg tiredness (p < 0.002), upper legs (p < 0.005), and feet (p < 0.0024). Those who use a moderate to full strategy reported less overall discomfort than moderate and full (p < 0.001) shifters. Standing strategy may minimize discomfort during the workday.