An evaluation of standing-induced lower leg edema as a function of floor surace

Abstract

Jobs requiring workers to stand for prolonged periods are common in industry. People whose work involves standing frequently complain of discomfort, particularly in the legs. A study was conducted to determine the amount of edema that occurs in the lower leg and the level of discomfort people experience as a result of standing on six industrial floor surfaces. Twelve (six female, six male) healthy, college-aged subjects stood for 16 hours (four experimental periods of four hours each)on each of the surfaces. The surfaces used included: two brands of anti-fatigue mat, three types of industrial grating, and concrete. Using water volume displacement, edema of three segments of the right leg (ankle-and-below, calf-and-below, and knee-and-below) was measured for each experiment period. The greatest edema was found in the knee-and-below segment followed by the calf-and-below and ankle-and-below segments. The floor surface (Pr>F=0.110) and the number of weeks the subjects participated in the study (Pr>F=0.140) had no significant effect on the edema of any of the segments. No significant interactions were noted. In the subjective discomfort analysis, significance was found due to gender (Prob=0.033). For the body regions of the legs and back, females generally reported experiencing greater discomfort than males as a result of standing. No significance was found due to floor surface (Prob=0.324) or the number of weeks the subjects participated in the study (Prob=0.116). The subjects ranked the two anti-fatigue mats as being the most preferable of the six surfaces.