Lower limb blood flow and mean arterial pressure during standing and seated work: Implications for workplace posture recommendations

Abstract

Sit-stand workstations are a popular workplace intervention. Organizations often require a medical professional's guidance for implementation. Therefore, it is important to understand potential negative outcomes associated with standing work, such as lower limb discomfort and peripheral vascular issues. The objective of this study was to compare changes in lower limb discomfort, blood pressure and blood flow accumulation during a light-load repetitive upper limb work task accomplished from seated and standing postures. At the Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital (Laval, Quebec, Canada), 16 participants were outfitted with Laser Doppler Flow (LDF) electrodes to measure blood flow in the lower limb, and a sphygmomanometer to measure lower limb mean arterial blood pressure (MAP). Participants completed simulated work over 34 min in standing and seated conditions. Repeated measures ANOVAs (Posture x Time) were used to assess the differences. There were significant effects for both Posture (p = 0.003) and Time (p = 0.007) for LDF-measured of blood flow accumulation in the soleus and the foot, with a mean increase of 77% blood flow over time in the standing posture, when compared to seated work. There was a significant 'Posture × Time' (p = 0.0034) interaction effect and a significant Posture (p = 0.0001) effect for MAP, with higher values in the standing posture by a mean of 37.2 mmHg. Posture had a significant effect (p < 0.001) on lower limb discomfort, with standing posture reporting higher levels. These results suggest that recommendations for using static standing work postures should be tempered, and physicians' guidance on workstation changes should consider the impacts on the lower limb.

Keywords: Lower limb discomfort; Sitting; Standing; Vascular outcomes; Work postures.

Fig. 1

Change in lower limb LDF accumulation measures, expressed as a percentage of baseline seated values. Data was collected from the Occupational Biomechanics Laboratory within the Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital in Laval, Quebec in 2012/2013. *Denotes a significant time-based change from baseline. There were main posture effects.

Fig. 2

Change in lower limb mean arterial blood pressure. Data was collected from the Occupational Biomechanics Laboratory within the Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital in Laval, Quebec in 2012/2013. *Denotes a significant time-based change from baseline. There were main posture effects.