Effectiveness of leg movement in reducing leg swelling and discomfort in lower extremities

Various occupations required that workers stand for long periods, causing discomfort and pain. This study considered the effectiveness of three leg movements in relieving discomfort of the lower extremities during long periods of standing at work. Ten paid male subjects with no history of problems of the lower extremities were enrolled in this study. They performed three leg movements on a hard floor while standing for 4 h in a laboratory setting. Each 1 h experimental test had two phases - 50 min of standing, followed by 10 min of rest. During the period of standing, one the following leg movements was made. No movement (no change in posture), ankle movement (twice, for 2 min each time), and hip movement (twice, for 2 min each time). Observations revealed that the three leg movements yielded different degrees of lower limb swelling. The percentage changes in thigh (1.22%) and shank (1.32%) circumferences were largest during prolonged standing without any movement and lowest during prolonged standing with ankle movement (0.61%) and hip movement (0.80%). The relationship between perceived discomfort and standing time was determined. The subjects perceived the most shank discomfort (5.8) during the 4 h test without any movement. Leg movement greatly influenced perceived discomfort of the shank. The results of this study suggested that workers should move their ankles and hips for a short period following prolonged standing for 30 min to reduce lower extremity discomfort. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.