Prolonged standing increases lower limb arterial stiffness.

PURPOSE: Standing workstations have recently been promoted as a healthy alternative to sitting. However, it is unknown how prolonged standing affects arterial stiffness, a prognostic indicator of cardiovascular health. The purpose of this study was twofold: to observe changes in arterial stiffness, as assessed by pulse wave velocity (PWV), with a 2-h bout of standing, and to determine if short, intermittent walking bouts provide a comparative advantage to standing alone. METHODS: Nineteen adults had arterial stiffness assessed by pulse wave velocity. Central (CPWV), upper peripheral (UPWV), and lower peripheral (LPWV) PWV were assessed before (supine), during standing (min 10, 60, and 120), and after (supine) the 2-h standing bout. In one trial, the participants stood at a standing desk immobile for 2 h. In the other trial, participants performed 5-min walking breaks after every 25 min of standing. RESULTS: After 2-h of standing, supine (85.8 ± 90.1 cm/s) and standing (303.4 ± 390.2 cm/s), LPWV increased independent of trial (i.e., main effect of time; p < 0.001). Walking breaks during 2 h of standing did not significantly attenuate these changes. In addition, standing CPWV decreased over time (- 38.5 ± 61.5 cm/s; p = 0.04). Yet, UPWV, standing or supine, did not change over the course of standing (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that prolonged standing increases the measures of arterial stiffness and there is no evidence that walk breaks attenuate this response.

Walking breaks can reduce prolonged standing induced low back pain.

Standing is commonly recommended to reduce sedentary behavior in the workplace; however, constrained prolonged standing has also been linked to musculoskeletal symptoms, such as low back pain (LBP). Light physical activity breaks, such as walking, may change lumbar spine posture enough to reduce LBP during standing. This study assessed the effectiveness of inserting 5-minute walking breaks every 25 min for reducing prolonged standing-induced LBP development. Nineteen participants completed two bouts of standing lasting 2 h - one with a 5-minute walking break every 25 min and one with no breaks. Pain measures were completed throughout the trial to categorize participants as pain developers (PDs) or non-pain developers (non-PDs). Lumbar region kinematics angle and range of motion were measured continuously. In standing, 58% (11/19) of participants were PDs, compared to just 26% when walking breaks were inserted. Seventy-three percent (8/11) were categorized as non-PDs with walking breaks. Median lumbar flexion increased during walking compared to standing. Lumbar region range of motion in the coronal and transverse planes also increased during walking. The intermittent lumbar flexion may help decrease LBP during prolonged standing. These results demonstrate that walking breaks may help promote lumbar movement and reduce prolonged standing-induced LBP.