| Author: | Zhu, Siyuan |
| Title: | Biomechanical effect of pillow height on cervical region |
| Degree: | M.Sc. |
| Year: | 2014 |
| Subject: | Pillows Cervical vertebrae Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations |
| Department: | Interdisciplinary Division of Biomedical Engineering |
| Pages: | xi, 50 leaves : illustrations (some color) ; 30 cm |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | A pillow is a cushioned support for the head or other parts of the body, usually used while sleeping on a bed, or for the body as used on a couch or chair with different material, filler and height. Unsuitable pillow heights would significantly influence sleeping quality and causes diseases (such as snoring and sleeping apnea) and stiffness and pain in the region of neck and shoulder. The objective of this study was to determine how pillow heights affect cervical biomechanics. Five female and five male subjects participated in the study. The body contact pressure and cervical curve without pillow was measured as baseline. Then eight conditions were studied, including four pillow heights and two sleeping postures (lying flat and lying on one side). The changes of pressure distribution (average and maximum pressure) and cervical curve were observed to understand the influence of pillow height on different sleeping postures. The results showed that different pillow heights significantly affected the maximum and average pressure (p<0.05). Generally, a higher pillow increased the pressure under the head and neck. When subjects slept flat, the neck region had higher average and maximum pressure, compared to that of the head region in all pillow height conditions, except the lowest pillow. When the subject slept on one side, the head region had higher maximum pressure, compared to that of the neck region all pillow height conditions, and had higher average pressure except the highest pillow. This study also presented a qualitative comparison of the cervical curve on different pillow heights in side-lying. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| b27577478.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 2.11 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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