The Influence of Prolonged Standing on Subjective Discomfort and Shank Circumference in Different Foot/floor Interface

In many occupations, workers are standing for a prolonged period to work, resulting in complains of discomfort and pain. This study explores the influence of foot/floor interface on comfort and shank circumference. Ten healthy male volunteers performed 4 h of computer works while standing on four different foot/floor combinations, consisting of 2 foot (air-cushioned sport shoes, barefoot) and 2 floor (soft mat, and hard surface (force-plate)) conditions. The parameters measured pre-experiment and during the 4h work were perceived discomfort ratings in feet and shank circumference. Experimental results show that the foot/floor interface significantly affected discomfort rating of feet. There was subjectively more discomfort standing on the barefoot/hard surface combination, and there was less discomfort on the sport-shoe/mat combination. Hard foot/floor interface increased the discomfort ratings. The discomfort ratings also significantly increased with standing duration. An analysis of variance found that the shank circumference was influenced by standing duration and foot/floor interface. Unexpectedly, we found the highest increase of shank circumference in the sport shoe/hard surface combination, and lowest in the sport shoe/mat combination. In this study, objective measures did not reflect the subjective responses of discomfort rating. Therefore, in addition to circulatory factors, foot contact pressure may play an important role in the explanation of discomfort in legs and feet during prolonged standing.

並列關鍵字

Prolonged standing ； Foot/floor interface ； Subjective rating

國際替代計量

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