• Dual Lumbar Continuous Passive Motion Device Works Effectively for Prevention of Low Back Pain during Prolonged Sitting

Introduction To prevent low back pain and discomfort during prolonged sitting, an inflatable lumbar support cushion has been developed that provides lumbar continuous passive motion (CPM) (J Spinal Disord 1994). This device has a lumbar support inflating and deflating air bladder that provides a cyclical motion to the spine, periodically changing the lumbar lordosis angle. Based on results obtained from healthy volunteers, however, Aota et al showed that subjective ratings of discomfort did not differ significantly between a CPM lumbar support device and a fixed lumbar support (Spine 2007). To improve the effects in the prevention of low back pain, authors have developed a dual CPM device, in which an additional CPM cushion is located in the front portion of the seat. The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether this combination work effectively or not in the prevention of low back pain in the prolonged sitting. Subjective rating of low back pain, whole body movements and pressure distribution changes in the human-seat interface during CPM were also compared with different modalities in the airbag install condition.