Understanding the User Experience of Lumbar-Support-Assistive Devices in Lower-Back Pain Patients: Design Recommendations
Abstract
:1. Introduction
LSAD-Related Work
- Reduce lumbar muscle fatigue [25];
- (1)
- Describe the types of LSAD used by lower-back pain patients;
- (2)
- Exploring how lower-back pain patients use LSAD;
- (3)
- Evaluate lower-back pain patients’ satisfaction with LSAD;
- (4)
- Generate design improvement recommendations.
2. Methods
2.1. Theoretical Framework
2.2. Study Design
2.3. Data Collection Tool
- What type of LSAD have you used? Could you show or describe it to us?
- At which stage of lower-back pain do you typically use LSAD? For example: before regular treatment, after regular treatment, relying only on the LSAD for rehabilitation, etc.?
- In what environment or scenario do you usually wear LSAD?
- How often did you use LSAD on average during your most recent episode of lower-back pain?
2.4. Participants and Data Collection Process
2.5. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Demographics
3.2. Participants’ Usage and Types of Usage
3.3. User Satisfaction
4. Qualitative Findings and Discussion
4.1. Key Design Challenges in Improving LSAD
4.1.1. Stability
“What I mean is, it would be great if it could be integrated with the pants because I need to lift my arms, squat […], some larger range of motion. Wearing it while working is greatly affected, but I still need it. Can you understand? It always slips.”(Participant 3)
“When I’m delivering or picking up goods, it slides with my clothes. Every time I finish, I must pull it down with my hands. It really affects my work a lot.”(Participant 4)
4.1.2. Fit
“Because the waist has a curvature, most of the waist belts I used before did not conform to the curvature of the waist, leading to frequent slipping issues.”(Participant 4)
4.1.3. Comfort
4.2. Providing Necessary Assistance
4.2.1. Potential Barriers
“I understand that it benefits our waist. But, when I first started wearing it, I didn’t know how tight it should be—it was all based-on feeling. […] The doctor told me to buy the one with strong support, LSAD. […] But how tight should I wear it for it to be effective? It would be helpful to have instructions on how to wear it or markings and information provided.”(Participant 3)
“After putting this on, my back feels too swollen […], but we are not sure about the intensity. What level of tension is more appropriate? Is tighter always better? We don’t know. We can’t rely on comfort for judgment. Sometimes, it’s uncomfortable when it’s too tight, but it helps your back recover quickly. Sometimes, it’s comfortable, but it might be an ineffective wear. So, we need assistance in this regard.”(Participant 5)
“To be honest, this thing is either too tight, making my waist uncomfortably swollen, or too loose, rendering it ineffective. And, I’ve heard people say that wearing it too tightly is actually bad for the waist. I can only rely on my feelings to adjust it. […] But then again, if someone tells me that wearing it tightly is the most effective for my waist, I’ll endure the discomfort for the sake of my waist.”(Participant 2)
4.2.2. Prompts
“It would be much better to have such a reminder because poor sitting posture can aggravate lumbar muscle fatigue. Anyway, it’s good to have such a reminder in the end.”(Participant 11)
4.3. Individualizing Needs and Balance of Design
4.3.1. Aesthetics
“I can’t stand it when people always stare at me when I’m walking down the street. That feeling makes me very uncomfortable. […] Now, I’ll put it on for you to see. […] It really affects one’s image, doesn’t it? That’s why I always tuck it inside my clothes every time.”(Participant 4)
“In my opining, this kind of thing is mainly used by the elderly and the sick. It’s indeed awkward for young people when they go out. […] I feel like people look at me with the impression of ‘so young and already with back problems’. The most embarrassing thing was when someone offered me a seat on the bus, making me feel particularly awkward. […] Have you seen the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? It’s a similar feeling, not wanting others to instantly think you’re a patient.”(Participant 13)
“I’m almost halfway into the coffin […] The most important thing is that it’s effective; I don’t really care much about how others see it. Sometimes we may be too concerned about other people’s opinions, but everyone has their own problems. Who can truly be perfect?”(Participant 8)
4.3.2. Dimensions
“Size span is a little big. Each size differs by 10 cm. I initially bought XL, but it was too big, so I exchanged it for L, which turned out to be a bit small. I didn’t want to go through the hassle of exchanging again, so I’m just using it reluctantly.”(Participant 14)
“The belt size is supposed to be an average size, but you can see that sizes vary among different brands. I tried my best to tighten it a bit more, but still couldn’t achieve it.”(Participant 12)
4.3.3. Safety
“The functionality of salt therapy is essentially a layer of salt with a 220 V voltage temperature control. Because I work in the safety field, I am really concerned about placing a 220 V voltage device around the waist. The consequences would be extremely serious in case of any mishap.”(Participant 12)
4.3.4. Cleanliness
“No one can help me clean this device, so it is a task which I do alone. It adds to the strain on my lower back. Sometimes, I worry that the cleaning isn’t thorough enough, which affects my mood.”(Participant 13)
4.4. LSAD Design Improvement Recommendations
4.5. Theoretical and Practical Implications
4.6. Limitations and Future Research
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
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Participants | Gender | Age | Occupation | Type of LBP | History of LSAD Usage |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Male | 53 | University Professor | Lumbar muscle strain | 6 months |
2 | Female | 52 | Administrative Staff | Lumbar disc herniation | 3 months |
3 | Female | 44 | Aerobics instructor | Lumbar disc herniation | 8 months |
4 | Female | 25 | Salesperson | Lumbar disc herniation | 12 months |
5 | Male | 46 | Physical education teacher | Lumbar muscle strain | 2 months |
6 | Male | 25 | Student | Lumbar disc herniation | 3 months |
7 | Female | 55 | Aerobics instructor | Lumbar disc herniation | 24 months |
8 | Female | 59 | Swimming instructor | Lumbar muscle strain | 8 months |
9 | Male | 43 | Basketball coach | Lumbar disc herniation | 12 months |
10 | Male | 40 | Electrician | Sprain | 1 months |
11 | Female | 51 | Clerical staff | Lumbar muscle strain | 36 months |
12 | Male | 32 | Safety officer | Lumbar muscle strain | 14 months |
13 | Female | 29 | Student | Lumbar muscle strain | 5 months |
14 | Female | 26 | Student | Lumbar disc herniation | 1 months |
Type of Use | Typically Used at Which Stage | The Environment or Situation in Which the LSAD Is Worn | Average Frequency of Use per Day | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Red | Flexible LSAD | After regular treatment | In sitting position | 1–3 h |
Blue | Semi-rigid LSAD | Before and after regular treatment | In standing position | 3–6 h |
Purple | - | Solely reliant on LSAD | When exercising | 6–8 h |
Greener | - | - | In daily life | More than 8 h |
LSAD Design Improvement Recommendations |
---|
Stability (Golden Guide 1) |
|
Fit (Golden Guide 2) |
|
Comfort (Golden Guide 3) |
|
Potential barrier |
|
Prompts |
|
Aesthetic design |
|
Dimensions |
|
Safety |
|
Cleanliness |
|
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© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Share and Cite
Chen, Z.; Zhang, M.; Zhang, X.; Liu, C.; Wang, H. Understanding the User Experience of Lumbar-Support-Assistive Devices in Lower-Back Pain Patients: Design Recommendations. Appl. Sci. 2024, 14, 7495. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14177495
Chen Z, Zhang M, Zhang X, Liu C, Wang H. Understanding the User Experience of Lumbar-Support-Assistive Devices in Lower-Back Pain Patients: Design Recommendations. Applied Sciences. 2024; 14(17):7495. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14177495
Chicago/Turabian StyleChen, Zibin, Meng Zhang, Xi Zhang, Chenyang Liu, and Huize Wang. 2024. "Understanding the User Experience of Lumbar-Support-Assistive Devices in Lower-Back Pain Patients: Design Recommendations" Applied Sciences 14, no. 17: 7495. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14177495