A growing health risk in modern times is the increased amount of time the average person spends sitting. Whether at work for 8 hours at a computer or on the couch all day watching a favorite show, sitting contributes to a sedentary lifestyle, which is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It has been found that even those who exercise regularly, yet spend a prolonged portion of their day seated, have increased risk of similar ailments. Though many health risks of sitting are known, there has been little research on its impact on the musculoskeletal system. Physical therapists have noted an inexplicably high rate of clinical weakness of the gluteus maximus muscle. Doctoral candidates in physical therapy at City University of New York recently published a capstone project on their hypothesis that the habit of prolonged sitting directly leads to weakening of the gluteus maximus and the hamstrings. In the experiment, subjects were asked, after a brief warm-up, to perform maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) for both muscle groups. In addition, two functional activities were performed by the subjects: a “sit-to-stand” exercise and a “forward step-up” exercise. The subjects were separated into two groups based on their sitting/standing habits throughout the day. Surface EMG signals were recorded from the subjects using a BioNomadix wireless EMG Transmitter and Receiver set, along with an MP150 data acquisition system. Using AcqKnowledge software, the researchers were able to process the raw EMG signals with automated data reduction routines and statistical analysis. Further analysis of the data found no statistically significant differences in gluteus strength between the two groups. However, the group still believes that there remains to be studied the muscular effects of prolonged sitting. Further studies may be benefitted by the use of the BioNomadix Logger for continuous, 24-hour logging of a range of physiological signals. BIOPAC offers BioNomadix wireless physiology systems and a number of other solutions for EMG and other signals and measurements.
