Common Postures Research Articles

Lateral Pectoral Nerve Identification through Ultrasound-Guided Methylene Blue Injection during Selective Peripheral Neurectomy for Shoulder Spasticity: Proposal for a New Procedure.

Internally rotated and adducted shoulder is a common posture in upper limb spasticity. Selective peripheral neurectomy is a useful and viable surgical technique to ameliorate spasticity, and the lateral pectoral nerve (LPN) could be a potential good target to manage shoulder spasticity presenting with internal rotation. However, there are some limitations related to this procedure, such as potential anatomical variability and the necessity of intraoperative surgical exploration to identify the target nerve requiring wide surgical incisions. This could result in higher post-surgical discomfort for the patient. Therefore, the aim of our study was to describe a modification of the traditional selective peripheral neurectomy procedure of the LPN through the perioperative ultrasound-guided marking of the target nerve with methylene blue. The details of the localization and marking procedure are described, as well as the surgical technique of peripheral selective neurectomy and the potential advantages in terms of nerve localization, surgical precision and patients' post-surgical discomfort. We suggest that the proposed modified procedure could be a valid technique to address some current limitations and move the surgical treatment of spasticity toward increasingly tailored management due to the ease of nerve identification, the possibility of handling potential anatomical variability and the resulting smaller surgical incisions.

Effectiveness of Blackburn Exercise with Thoracic Extension Exercises Versus Thoracic Extension Exercise on Postural Hyper Kyphosis and Scapula Position in Young Asymptomatic Individuals - A Comparative Study

BACKGROUND: The spine is composed of two types of curvature: kyphosis and lordosis. Postural hyper kyphosis is the most common posture abnormality and can happen at any age. Causes are idiopathic, sedentary lifestyle, impairments, and aging. Abnormal posture has a detrimental effect on articular and muscular structures as it leads to muscular weakness and degenerative changes. It affects the muscular tension around the neck and shoulder; as it shifts the neck forward (muscle tightness) and the shoulder moves more internally, leading the upper back scapular muscle lengthening. This study uses a flexi-curve ruler to measure postural hyper kyphosis and lateral scapula slide test(LSST) to measure scapula distance. The Blackburn protocol is often used for shoulder and scapular impairments; in this study, the protocol is used to manage postural hyper kyphosis as it targets the same muscle groups that are in an altered state. OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of Blackburn exercise along with thoracic extension exercise versus thoracic extension exercise on postural hyper kyphosis and scapula position in young asymptomatic individuals. METHODS: A comparative study included 70 samples, age between 18 and 28, divided into 2 groups. The degree of kyphosis was measured using a flexi curve ruler (fcr), and scapula distance was measured using a lateral scapula slide test (lsst) at three positions. Intervention was given for six weeks. RESULTS: After 6 weeks of data analysis, Group A's p-value for kyphosis angle is 0.5 and lateral scapula slide test at 0 degree is 0.735, at 45 degree is 0.1992, and at 90 degree is 0.536, showing significant improvement over another group. Conclusion: Blackburn exercises, along with thoracic extension exercises, were found to be effective in reducing the angle of kyphosis in the young population. Keywords: Hyper kyphosis, Flexi curve Ruler, LSST, Blackburn protocol.

Assessment of Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders and Work Posture amongst the Hospital Workers in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Chennai

Abstract Background: The prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) ranges from 10% to 60% in an organisation. This study was undertaken to estimate the prevalence pattern of WRMSDs and the relation of musculoskeletal (MSK) pain/discomfort complaints with posture amongst hospital workers. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study done amongst hospital housekeeping workers in a tertiary care hospital. Physical parameters, assessment of musculoskeletal pain by the Nordic MSK Questionnaire and Cornell MSK Questionnaire and analysis of posture using Ovako Working Posture Assessment System (OWAS) which identifies posture of back, arms, legs and weight of the load handled during work. Results: The prevalence of WRMSDs in the past 12 months was 198 (87.2%) and in the past 7 days was 155 (63.8%). Maximum MSK pain was reported in knee (136, 59.9%). Multiple sites of pain (3 or more) were also seen in 146 (64.3%) workers. The most common posture associated with pain was walking (100%). Pain did not prevent from doing the work and slightly interfered with their ability. Number of years of work experience had a significant relation to the pain score. Conclusion: Although the majority of the study population fell in the OWAS-second category which has no immediate concern at present, may progress to the third and fourth categories if proper posture correction is not done. If the preventive MSK rehabilitation measures are taken at the earliest, it can help prevent the progression to cumulative trauma disorders.

Injury mechanism of patellar dislocation in professional athletes: a video analysis study

Objective: Patellar dislocation (PD) is a devastating injury in professional athletes. An important aspect of injury prevention requires not only identifying the risk factors but also determining the responsible injury mechanism. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the injury mechanisms by examining the videos of PD injuries that occurred in professional athletes. Material and Methods: Injury videos of identified athletes and/or sports competitions where the injury occurred were detected on social media platforms (YouTube®, Twitter®, Facebook®). On January 1, 2021, 32 patella dislocation videos were found. A total of 28 PD that occurred in professional athletes between 1999 and 2020 were identified. Of these, 18 PD injuries with adequate video data were analyzed for injury mechanism, body posture, and player and sports characteristics. Three independent reviewers evaluated the videos. Results: There were 17 (94.4%) male and 1 (5.6%) female athletes. The mean age was 26.2±3.1 years. Distribution of athletic branches were such: four basketball (22.2%), two football (11.1%), nine rugby (50.0%), two soccer (11.1%), and one boxing (5.6%). In 13 cases (72.2%), the injury occurred by contact mechanism. Eight of these injuries (61.5%) occurred as a result of direct contact. The most important findings of this study were that patellar dislocation occurred when the trunk, hip, knee and ankle were slightly flexed. Dislocation occurred with the contraction of the quadriceps while the foot and tibia were performing external rotation. Conclusion: In professional athletes, PD most frequently occurs during a collision. The most common posture of the athlete who lost his balance is the trunk in flexion, knee and hip in flexion, ankle in plantar flexion.

The spatio-temporal architecture of everyday manual behavior

In everyday activities, humans move alike to manipulate objects. Prior works suggest that hand movements are built by a limited set of basic building blocks consisting of a set of common postures. However, how the low dimensionality of hand movements supports the adaptability and flexibility of natural behavior is unknown. Through a sensorized glove, we collected kinematics data from thirty-six participants preparing and having breakfast in naturalistic conditions. By means of an unbiased analysis, we identified a repertoire of hand states. Then, we tracked their transitions over time. We found that manual behavior can be described in space through a complex organization of basic configurations. These, even in an unconstrained experiment, recurred across subjects. A specific temporal structure, highly consistent within the sample, seems to integrate such identified hand shapes to realize skilled movements. These findings suggest that the simplification of the motor commands unravels in the temporal dimension more than in the spatial one.

Efficacy of stretching exercises versus transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on task performance, kinematic and electroencephalography (EEG) spectrum in subjects with slump posture: a study protocol

BackgroundSlump sitting is a common posture in workplaces. There is limited evidence that poor posture impacts the mental state. This study aims to investigate whether slump posture results in more mental fatigue during computer typing, compared with normal posture and also to compare the effectiveness of stretching exercises with tDCS in fatigue monitoring.MethodsThe sample size for this study is set at 36 participants with slump posture and 36 participants with normal posture. In the first step, to find out the differences between normal and poor posture, they will be asked to perform the typewriting task for 60 min. During the first and last 3 min of typing, mental fatigue as the primary outcome using EEG signals and further measures including kinematic behavior of neck, visual analog fatigue scale, and musculoskeletal discomfort will be assessed. Post-experiment task performance will be calculated based on typing speed and typing errors. In the next step, to compare the effect of tDCS and stretching exercises on the outcome measures, the slump posture group will receive these interventions in two separate sessions before the typing task.DiscussionWith the assumption of showing significant differences in terms of outcome measures between slump and normal posture groups and also by showing the possible changes of the measures, by using either tDCS as a central modality or stretching exercises as a peripheral modality; the findings may provide evidence to indicate that poor posture has adverse effect on mental state and to introduce the effective method to overcome mental fatigue and promote work productivity.Trial registrationRegistered on the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials on 21 September 2022, IRCT Identifier: IRCT20161026030516N2.

Computer Vision Syndrome Among Medical Students at the University of Khartoum, Sudan: Prevalence and Associated Factors.

Background and aims Regular continuous uninterrupteduse of electronic devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and computers, can result in a spectrum of vision-related symptoms known as computer vision syndrome. Students today can readily access information and books on their smartphones and computers, which reduces their reliance on printed texts. Numerous muscle-related and ocular complaints could arise from this. The primary objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of computer vision syndrome symptoms among medical students at the University of Khartoum and to identify its contributing factors. The secondary objective was to evaluate practices and knowledge related to computer vision syndrome prevention. Methods This study is a facility-based cross-sectional observation aimed at describing medical students' characteristics at the University of Khartoum. The sampling strategy employed was stratified random sampling, and a structured online questionnaire was used to collect the data. A total of 149 students completed the self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire included questions on sociodemographic data, validated symptoms of computer vision syndrome, and factors associated with the syndrome's development. Data were analyzed using SPSS Statistics (Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.), simple descriptive statistics were calculated, and odds ratios and Pearson's chi-square test were employed to examine and quantify the association between variables. Results Of the 149 participants, 58.4% were female, while males made up 41.6% of the study sample. The prevalence of computer vision syndrome has been found to be 94%, and 72.4% of the students reported experiencing at least three symptoms of computer vision syndrome. Neck and shoulder pain was the most commonly reported symptom (78.5%), followed by headache (70.5%), while the least reported symptom was eye redness (36.2%). The majority of students (81.2%) used electronic devices for five or more hours a day, and the most common posture while using electronic devices was lying down, as reported by 54.4% of the students. A total of 68% of the medical students in this study reported keeping a distance that was shorter than the suggested 40 centimeters from the screen, and only 18.1% were aware of the 20-20-20 rule (every 20 minuteslook at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds). The seating position has been found to be significantly associated with the number of symptoms experienced (p=0.012); sitting with a bent back was 4.6 times more likely to cause more than three symptoms when compared to sitting upright with a straight back (OR=4.643; 95% CI: 1.63-13.21; p=0.004). Conclusion There was a very high prevalence of computer vision syndrome among medical students at the University of Khartoum. Most students had poor awareness and bad practices regarding the safe use of electronic devices. Awareness campaigns to encourage good practices and enable the safe use of computers and other digital devices are strongly recommended.

Linear and Non-Linear Heart Rate Variability Indexes from Heart-Induced Mechanical Signals Recorded with a Skin-Interfaced IMU.

Heart rate variability (HRV) indexes are becoming useful in various applications, from better diagnosis and prevention of diseases to predicting stress levels. Typically, HRV indexes are retrieved from the heart's electrical activity collected with an electrocardiographic signal (ECG). Heart-induced mechanical signals recorded from the body's surface can be utilized to record the mechanical activity of the heart and, in turn, extract HRV indexes from interbeat intervals (IBIs). Among others, accelerometers and gyroscopes can be used to register IBIs from precordial accelerations and chest wall angular velocities. However, unlike electrical signals, the morphology of mechanical ones is strongly affected by body posture. In this paper, we investigated the feasibility of estimating the most common linear and non-linear HRV indexes from accelerometer and gyroscope data collected with a wearable skin-interfaced Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) positioned at the xiphoid level. Data were collected from 21 healthy volunteers assuming two common postures (i.e., seated and lying). Results show that using the gyroscope signal in the lying posture allows accurate results in estimating IBIs, thus allowing extracting of linear and non-linear HRV parameters that are not statistically significantly different from those extracted from reference ECG.

Classification of static postures with wearable sensors mounted on loose clothing

Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) are a potential way to monitor the mobility of people outside clinical or laboratory settings at an acceptable cost. To increase accuracy, multiple IMUs can be used. By embedding multiple sensors into everyday clothing, it is possible to simplify having to put on individual sensors, ensuring sensors are correctly located and oriented. This research demonstrates how clothing-mounted IMU readings can be used to identify 4 common postures: standing, sitting, lying down and sitting on the floor. Data were collected from 5 healthy adults, with each providing 1–4 days of data with approximately 5 h each day. Each day, participants performed a fixed set of activities that were video-recorded to provide a ground truth. This is an analysis of accelerometry data from 3 sensors incorporated into right trouser-leg at the waist, thigh and ankle. Data were classified as static/ dynamic activities using a K-nearest neighbour (KNN) algorithm. For static activities, the inclination angles of the three sensors were estimated and used to train a second KNN classifier. For this highly-selected dataset (60000–70000 data points/posture), the static postures were classified with 100% accuracy, illustrating the potential for clothing-mounted sensors to be used in posture classification.

Person Tracking by Fusing Posture Data From UAV Video and Wearable Sensors

In this article, a novel framework that fuses the posture data taken by a drone (or unmanned aerial vehicle, UAV) camera and the wearable sensors data recorded by smartwatches is proposed. The framework is designed for continuously tracking persons in a drone view by analyzing location-independent human posture features and correctly tagging smartwatch identities (IDs) and personal profiles to video human objects, thus conquering the former work in requiring ground markers. Person detection, ID assignment, and pose estimation are integrated into our framework to obtain recognized human postures. These recognized postures are then paired with those from the wearable sensors. Through fusing common postures, such as standing, walking, jumping, and falling down, person tracking accuracy by UAV up to 95.36% can be attained in our testing scenarios.

Comfort Assessment and Optimization Based on FE Simulation for High-Speed Train Seats: Comparison with Different Design Parameters

Nowadays, riding comfort is more significant than before for evaluating the quality of high–speed railways and sitting is the most common posture for its passengers. This study aimed to analyze and optimize the pressure distribution and sitting comfort of second–class seats with different design parameters. Firstly, 21 pressure features were calculated after the field sitting tests conducted on a CRH Train. The subjective comfort was quantified as a linear combination of 6 pressure features in 21, which were selected using stepwise regression analysis (R2 = 0.684). A seat-human finite element model was established using THUMS for a human body and MAT_57 for the seat foam. Finally, this study analyzed the effects of foam and seat angles on interface pressure distribution and comfort ratings. The set of design parameters with the highest comfort was selected from 12 free combinations. The results show that the seat foam with less stiffness may not improve sitting comfort due to the asymmetry of the seat frame. Moreover, appropriately increasing the stiffness of the cushion and backrest will not lead to a decrease in subjective feelings and the pressure distribution becomes more reasonable as the inclination angle increases within 10 degrees. The final optimization increases the computational comfort of the seat-human model by 6.5 in a −50 to 50 scale.

Analysis of selected methods of diagnostics and physiotherapy of pes plano-valgus in children

Introduction: Flat feet is one of the most common posture defects among children and it usually co-occurs with valgus of the heels, which is called pes plano-valgus. There are many diagnostic methods and physiotherapeutic activities that allow for early detection and appropriate correction of the defect. The use of non-surgical methods may allow the child to avoid surgery in the future. Aim and Methods: Review and analysis of the current scientific literature on the diagnosis and physiotherapy of plano-valgus feet in children. Conclusions: In the diagnostic process, there are many static and dynamic methods for the assessment of plano-valgus foot among children. Special devices such as plantoconturograph, podoscope, and pedobarographic mat are used in the diagnosis of feet in children and have proven to be helpful in the detailed analysis of foot defects. However, an extensive range of physiotherapeutic methods allows for comprehensive treatment using not only corrective exercises, but also physical therapy treatments in order to relieve pain and accelerate recovery. Orthopedic appliances, such as supination insoles, also play an important role in the treatment. The best results were seen in the use of comprehensive treatment and multiple terapeutic methods. Early detection and correct diagnosis of foot abnormalities allow for appropriate treatment with the use of a wide range of physiotherapy methods. This increases the chances of restoring normal foot functions among children and reducing pain with other abnormal symptoms.

Proaíresis en Epicteto

The purpose of this article is to explain what prohairesis is in the philosophy of Epictetus, for which we will collect its main features, namely, (I) that the achievement of happiness (or the achievement of virtue) depends entirely on the use we give to our prohairesis, and (II) that prohairesis is the highest thing among all which belong to human being. So three complex questions need to be addressed: (1) How does prohairesis relate to the rational faculty (δύναμις λογική)?, (2) How does prohairesis relate to the faculty that uses representations (ἡ χρηστικὴ δύναμις ταῖς φαντασίαις)? And, last but not least, (3) How does prohairesis relate to the ruling part of the soul (τὸ ἡγεμονικόν)? According a comparative reading of several key passages, in this article we show that only the first two questions are answered by an identity relationship. About the third question, we argue that prohairesis is a faculty belonging to hēgemonikón, a conclusion that turns away from common postures in specialized literature.

Ergonomic problems in agricultural farms: Explainable relationship between awkward postures and body discomforts in Iranian leafy vegetable cultivation.

Many agricultural activities excessively need human power and are associated with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Leafy vegetable cultivation (LVC) is one of these. The postural workload, body discomfort, and explainable linkage between these among Iranian wintry LVC workers were investigated. Postures and body discomfort were evaluated using Ovako working posture analyzing system (OWAS) and a body map, respectively. The explainable body discomforts by working postures for each body region were descriptively discussed using some of the literature. Considering the maximum MSD risk value of 400%, irrigation and manual harvesting had the highest MSD risks with index risks of 313% and 305% respectively. Low back discomfort was the most common body discomfort in LVC which was reported for the operations of moldboard plowing, disking, manure application, chemical broadcasting, spraying, and manual harvesting. LVC operations seemed to rely heavily on the use of low back and shoulders. Bent and/or twist postures were the most common postures for the back. Almost all the body discomforts were explained by awkward postures shown by postural workload analysis. Therefore, the working posture analysis results may be reliable and utilized in future decisions around ergonomic interventions. Future studies may be conducted to investigate the simple and inexpensive ergonomic interventions to mitigate MSD risks.

Prevalence of Piriformis Muscle Tightness among Undergraduate Medical Students

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of piriformis muscle tightness among allied health students, and its relationship with age, gender and year of study. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted. A sample size of 259 was calculated using Open Epi v3.01. Allied health students from physical therapy, occupational therapy and prosthetics & orthotics programs participated in this study, which lasted 4 months. After obtaining informed consent, data was collected through a self-developed questionnaire. Piriformis muscle tightness, and symptom recurrence, was determined using the FAIR test. Results: Average age of participants was 21.94±1.81 years. Females comprised of 79.9% of the study population. High percentage (85.3%) were from the physical therapy program. Most common posture was crossed leg sitting (48.3%). Positive FAIR test was found in 41.7% of the population. Strong correlation between age-group with FAIR test was noted (p=0.036). Conclusion: Piriformis muscle tightness is prevalent in those who engage in prolonged sitting postures. Furthermore, strong association of piriformis tightness with age is present, whereas no relationship with gender and year of study has been observed. Keywords: Piriformis muscle tightness, Piriformis muscle syndrome, Low back pain, Sedentary individuals, FAIR test.

Sports Action Recognition Based on Particle Swarm Optimization Neural Networks

Video acquisition has become more convenient as science and technology have progressed, and the development of mobile Internet has resulted in a large amount of video data being generated every day. The question of how to analyze these videos automatically has become urgent. Among them, the study of sports movement recognition in video has important theoretical implications in sports research as well as practical application value. This paper proposes a PSO-NN-based sports action recognition model. Kernel principal component analysis is used to extract and analyze the characteristics of sports movements. The improved neural network is used to identify common human postures in sports, and the classification and block background estimation method is used to detect human targets. The feature extraction of targets is completed according to the edge features, and the feature extraction of targets is completed according to the edge features. Finally, the feature vectors are trained using a backpropagation neural network (BPNN), and the parameters of the BPNN are chosen using the PSO algorithm to create a classifier for sports action recognition. The results show that this model improves the accuracy of sports video recognition and is an effective method of sports action recognition when compared to the comparison model.

Analysis of postures for handwriting on touch screens without using tools

The act of handwriting affected the evolutionary development of humans and still impacts the motor cognition of individuals. However, the ubiquitous use of digital technologies has drastically decreased the number of times we really need to pick a pen up and write on paper. Nonetheless, the positive cognitive impact of handwriting is widely recognized, and a possible way to merge the benefits of handwriting and digital writing is to use suitable tools to write over touchscreens or graphics tablets. In this manuscript, we focus on the possibility of using the hand itself as a writing tool. A novel hand posture named FingerPen is introduced, and can be seen as a grasp performed by the hand on the index finger. A comparison with the most common posture that people tend to assume (i.e. index finger-only exploitation) is carried out by means of a biomechanical model. A conducted user study shows that the FingerPen is appreciated by users and leads to accurate writing traits.

Marking behavior of Asiatic black bears at rub trees

We studied the characteristics of the marking behavior of Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) at rub trees. We recorded the tree-marking (tree-rubbing and bark-scratching) and associated (stomping) behaviors in Japan between 2010 and 2015 using automatic cameras and compared the results with those from previous studies on other bear species. We recorded 22 visits to trees by ≥6 different individuals. During these visits, there were no differences in the frequency or duration between the 3 body orientations of back rubbing, front rubbing, and body-side rubbing, which differs from the findings for other bear species. However, bipedal standing was the most common posture, as observed in other species. We also analyzed the order of tree-marking actions. For a better understanding of the Asiatic black bear's marking behavior, further examples of marking behavior and anatomical studies of secretory glands are needed.

Catholic Identity in a Hostile Vandal Context: Insights from the Notitia Provinciarum

Abstract Evaluating the Notitia Provinciarum, ambiguities regarding the transmission and the content are to be encountered. This paper attempts to gain a consistent view on this document in respect to facts conveyed and the presumptive historical context and to draw conclusions concerning the identity of Catholics in Vandal Africa. The relationship to the Historia Persecutionis by Victor of Vita and the Liber Fidei Catholicae has been surveyed. Assuming textual consistency of the document, conclusions concerning the contextual location have been drawn from its Incipit and hints inside. Linking it to events as reported in the Historia Persecutionis the meaning of appositions to names has been enlightened and a consistent understanding of the document has been demonstrated. Information regarding the identity of Catholics in Vandal Africa has been deduced from the results of this evaluation due to the fact of differences between the provinces in respect of the appositions. Thus, different views and decisions within the African Catholic Church in regard to Vandal rule and to the relationship to Catholic ecumenical Christianity become evident. In spite of a common confession of faith as documented in the Liber Fidei Catholicae, there was no common posture toward Vandal rule and toward Catholic ecumenical Christianity.

Using touchscreen mobile devices—when, where and how: a one-week field study

This cross-sectional study explored the objectively measured Touchscreen Mobile Device (TSMD) use in free-living conditions. Data on TSMD use, gross body posture (lying, sitting, standing, stepping), and location of use (workplace, home, other) were collected over seven consecutive days from 54 adults (mean ± SD, 38 ± 10 years). Average duration of TSMD use was 152 ± 91 minutes/day, with TSMD engagement of 51 ± 35 times/day. Participants under 30 years spent significantly more time on their TSMD, averaging 230 ± 108 minutes/day. By location, 54 ± 17% of use occurred at home and 24 ± 15% at work. The most common posture adopted during any TSMD use was sitting (77 ± 5 2 minutes/day), with participants also spending considerable time lying down in the home environment (39 ± 49 minutes/day). These findings provide valuable insights into how adults are using TSMDs, including the postures and locations of use. Further research is needed on the health and wellbeing implications of these usage patterns. Practitioner summary: This study explored Touchscreen Mobile Device (TSMD) use in free-living conditions among 54 adults (mean ± SD, 38 ± 10 years). Participants under 30 years spent significantly more time on their devices. More than half of the time spent using TSMD occurred at home while sitting and lying down. Highlights Touchscreen mobile device use and gross body posture were quantified objectively. The most common postures for touchscreen mobile device use were lying and sitting. Touchscreen mobile devices were used around twice as much at home than at work. Use at home, with a predominance of the lying posture, needs further investigation.