Quantitative evaluation of subjective posture recognition by physiotherapists using a 3D motion capture.

[Purpose] This study evaluated subjective posture recognition by physiotherapists with expertise in posture, examined the quantification of posture using a three-dimensional (3D) motion capture, and described posture-based characteristics. [Participants and Methods] We photographed good, normal, and bad postures in 12 participants using an infrared camera, and the resultant data were analyzed. [Results] We observed the largest displacement from a good to a bad posture in the tenth thoracic vertebra on the X-axis in the anterior-posterior direction in comparison with other index points. Further, we observed considerable differences between good and bad postures compared with other index points. Moreover, we noted significant differences between the amount of displacement between good to a normal posture and from a good to a bad posture. The vertical displacement of the Z-axis was smaller than other index points. [Conclusion] Th10 captured features from the three postures. The X-axis was displaced most between good and bad postures. Further, the amount of displacement on the Z-axis was less between good and bad posture, rendering it difficult to capture features. Therefore, the findings reported herein can be used to compare the front and rear directions of the X-axis for capturing postural changes.

Age-related changes in postural control for wearing shoes using different process of leg-raising processes in the sitting position: a pilot study.

[Purpose] Wearing shoes can be difficult for people who experience movement difficulties. This study aimed to compare young adults and senior adults while wearing shoes in order to quantify kinematic, physiological, and ergonomic points of variance. [Participants and Methods] Nine young adults (mean age, 21 years) and nine senior adults (mean age, 70 years) were included in the study. We investigated four postural combination of using hand and crossing legs used while wearing shoes: 1) time required to wear shoes, 2) the center of pressure point, 3) muscle activation within the right sartorius, the left rectus femoris, the gluteus maximus, and the internal oblique, and 4) the perceived ease of task performance via a numerical rating scale. [Results] The activities of the internal oblique and the gluteus maximus were significantly higher in senior adults than in young adults. Wearing shoes without using hands was associated with the highest value for the ease of performance among the four patterns for both groups. [Conclusion] Our results suggested that the muscles analyzed in this study were important for safety and postural maintenance while performing activities of daily living tasks in leg-raising processes in the sitting position, with lower level of muscle activity.