Evaluation of Posture, Muscle Activity and Comfort during Portable Computer Use

With increased popularity of portable devices and their use outside of a traditional workstation becoming increasingly widespread, it is essential to expand on the limited research available concerning their ergonomic exposures. The goal of this study was to quantify how spine posture, muscle activation, and comfort varied depending on workstation layout, device type, and task. Twenty university aged participants completed two tasks, reading-typing and swiping, for 15-minutes blocks in eight different combination of workstation layout and device. Mean angles, muscle activation, and discomfort ratings were measured. Participants showed an increased head, neck, upper thoracic, and lumbar flexion in the lap setting. When participants used the tablet, greater head flexion was observed. Additionally, participants elicited greater muscle activation in the trapezius during the reading-typing task. Portable computer users should be conscious of the postures they adopt and consider the impact of workstation layout, device type, and task in fixed computing environments.