Changes in skin viscoelasticity induced by stretch stimulation of the skin of the dorsal trunk at the level of the mid thoracic vertebrae affect sitting posture

抄録

[Objective]Although the viscoelasticity of the dorsal trunk skin has also been shown to have a site-specific relationship with the spinal facet joints, the influence of its mechanical action on spinal motion is unclear. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of the changes in the viscoelasticity of the dorsal skin at the level of the mid thoracic vertebrae on sitting posture.[Methods]This study included 18 healthy adult males and was conducted in a randomized crossover trial to compare postural changes in the unstretch (UT) and stretch taping (ST) conditions in three postural positions: sitting at rest, maximum anterior pelvic tilt, and maximum posterior pelvic tilt. The taping application method was to selectively change the viscoelasticity of the skin around T7 by considering skin anisotropy.[Results]The results indicated significant shifts of the thoracolumbar junction and lumbar into extension and a significant anterior shift of the pelvic tilt in the sitting at rest under ST condition. The correlation analysis between the body parts in each position under ST condition indicated that taping skin manipulation causes postural changes.[Conclusion]These results are novel findings suggesting that stretch stimuli to the dorsal trunk skin can affect sitting posture.