Effects of the wheelchair sitting posture on gluteal pressure.

[Purpose] To evaluate the efficacy of the "forward-tilting posture" (the trunk tilted forward against a table) in a wheelchair in relieving gluteal pressure. [Participants and Methods] Thirty-six healthy adults were instructed to sit in a wheelchair assuming the following three postures: (1) both feet placed on the foot support with the trunk upright ("basic sitting posture"), (2) both feet placed on the foot support with the trunk tilted forward against a table ("forward-tilting posture A"), and (3) both feet placed on the floor with the trunk tilted forward against a table ("forward-tilting posture B"). A seat-type sensor pad placed on a wheelchair cushion was used to measure the maximum gluteal pressure and gluteal contact area.

Exercise habits and perception of physical exercise among residents of an island in the Western Pacific Region.

[Purpose] The current study aimed to validate the exercise habits and perception of physical exercise among residents of an island in the Western Pacific Region, where the high prevalence of noncommunicable diseases is a serious health issue. [Participants and Methods] Semi-structured interviews were conducted with one doctor, three nurses, and six patients from a noncommunicable disease clinic on one island of the Kingdom of Tonga. The questions focused on the patients' exercise habits and perception of physical exercise.

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.