Deltabalance Therapy
An Evaluation of the Impact of the eQuilibrium® Almond on the Biomechanical and Comfort Responses During Prolonged Standing Work, November 2008
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Jack P. Callaghan PhD, CK, CCPE
Canada Research Chair in Spine Biomechanics and Injury Prevention
Department of Kinesiology
Faculty of Applied Health Sciences
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L-3G1
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Evaluation of the Impact of the eQuilibrium® Almond on the
Biomechanical and Comfort Responses During Prolonged Standing Work (11MB - 55 pages) PDF »
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The Impact of a Sloped Surface on Low Back Pain During Prolonged Standing
Work: A Biomechanical Analysis »
Executive Summary
The subsequent report presents data collected from 16 subjects (8 males, 8 females) and examines
the physiological responses to 
prolonged standing on the eQuilibrium (eQ) Almond compared
with level ground standing. Subjects were recruited to represent individuals predisposed to
developing low back pain during prolonged standing and asymptomatic controls (10 pain, 6 nonpain
developers). Three different standing tasks were examined (sorting, small object assembly, and
quiet standing) during 2-hours of standing on the eQ Almond and a level floor. The primary focus
of the study was to assess the subjective comfort associated with using the eQ Almond and to
determine to what extent the platform alters muscular activity, spine and pelvis postures during
prolonged standing. The following four sub-issues were addressed: response of gender, influence of
task parameters, differences in upslope and down slope standing on the eQ Almond, and the impact
on symptomatic and asymptomatic low back pain sub-groupings.
Males appear to favourably respond to the eQ Almond, regardless of if they have low back pain
associated with standing or not, whereas females exhibited a somewhat more variable response. All
5 of the male individuals who developed pain during level standing demonstrated a significant
decrease in their subjective pain reports when using the eQ Almond and the 3 non-pain developers
reported no change. Two of the 5 females who developed pain during level standing changed from
the pain to non-pain group, 1 of the 8 female participants had a significant increase in discomfort
when using the eQ Almond, with the remaining 5 females having no change in discomfort ranking.
Overall low back discomfort scores were reduced by 43.5% for the pain development group across
gender, identified in level standing, when using the eQ Almond.
The eQ Almond appears to have an influence on modifying muscle co-activation levels during
standing. The pain group responded to standing on the eQ Almond by showing a marked decrease
in the co-activation of the bilateral gluteus medius muscles. The gluteus medius muscle coactivation
for the pain group became more similar to the profiles seen in a non-pain group during
level standing. However the non-pain group responded in the other direction by having an increase
in the co-activation of these muscles, although they did not have a commensurate increase in low
back pain.
There were changes in both the postural and joint loading variables examined. These changes were
minimal and in most cases the eQ Almond produced responses that bracketed the postures and
loading magnitudes found in level standing. Variability in exposures is an accepted strategy that has
been shown to be beneficial in reducing pain reporting. The eQ Almond induced variability by
encouraging frequent shifts in standing position, with an average move every 84 seconds or 85
postural shifts in total over a 2-hour period. The downslope surface of the eQ Almond was preferred
and 72% of the time was spent standing on the front side.
The eQ Almond introduces changes that result in beneficial reductions in low back pain during prolonged standing. These positive findings were supported in the exit survey satisfaction rating with 87.5% of all participants indicating that they would use the eQ Almond if they were in an occupational setting that required prolonged standing work.
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Evaluation of the Impact of the eQuilibrium® Almond on the
Biomechanical and Comfort Responses During Prolonged Standing Work (11MB - 55 pages) PDF »
Deltabalance Standing Platform Evaluation Executive Summary, November 2003
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Executive Summary Document (34 kb) PDF »
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Clinical Trial Document (25MB) PDF »
Delta Balance approached us to investigate scientifically and quantitatively the effect of the use of the Delta Balance standing platform.
An experiment was designed to study comparatively the effect of Delta Balance Platform (eQ platform) use while standing on downward slope, horizontal surface, and upward slope. The study received ethics approval and 5 male and 5 female subjects were recruited. These subjects were required to stand on three surfaces for 5 minutes each.
In most cases the down slope standing generated lower forces. Therefore, it clearly demonstrates while standing down-slope one reduces the EMG demands and lumbosacral compression. The lumbosacral compression is the most important biomechanical variable related to causation of low back pain. A significant reduction in compressive load relieves the spine providing a scientific rationale for sustained use of this device to relieve chronic low back pain.
Dr. Shrawan Kumar, Ph.D, DSc.
Professor, Department of Physical Therapy;
Faculty of Rehabilitative Medicine;
Professor of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine;
Editor, International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics;
Consulting Editor, Ergonomics;
Advisor Editor, Spine;
Assistant Editor, Transactions of Rehabilitation Engineering