The effect on sitting posture of a desk with a 10° inclination for reading and writing

Abstract

A pilot study was carried out on 10 subjects to examine the effect that a desk with a 10° inclination had on their sitting posture while reading and writing. A continuous recording of the subjects head and trunk positions was made. Each subject was studied during two periods of 1·5 h on different days. The subject worked at a flat desk on the first day and at a desk with a 10° inclination on the second. On average, the position of the head in the sagittal plane was found to be 6° more erect and the position of the trunk 7° more erect when working at a desk with a 10° inclination than when working at a flat desk. The maximal decrease in load observed on the cervical spine was 35% and on the thoracic spine 95%. The angle between the head and the trunk did not change significantly when using an inclined desk. Differences in posture in the frontal plane were not observed in this study.