Alec - you will have the best results with a bed which is inclined as much as possible within your space constraints (head high, feet low), and with a shape which is as neutral as possible with regard to body position. When supine on a flat horizontal surface, you have naturally large surfaces providing support - your shoulders, upper arms, back, butt cheeks, calves and heels. In the prone position, that same weight must be carried by your pectoral / upper chest, lower abdomen / hips, and quadriceps and knees - in general, these areas are not well padded on the human body. The only ways to increase the comfort of this position are to change the weight distribution (by inclining), or to change the contact area. Look at using something like a mattress memory foam that will conform to the body to distribute the load, and also at getting away from a flat slab and rather into something more ergonomic which permits a bend in the knees, etc., and distributes the occupant's weight among the entire available body surface. Finally, an ergonomically appropriate position will never have an occupant strain to hold their neck and head in an awkward position - depending on the relative position of your viewport(s) to the occupant in the prone position, you might want to consider something like a masseuse's table with an opening for the head to remain forward and neutral without straining the occupant's neck. To do so would have the added advantage of giving Vance's laidies something to do...
-Sean
On Oct 26, 2009, Smyth, Alec <Alec.Smyth@compuware.com> wrote:
Prone position tips?Hi all,
Snoopy started a winter rebuild last night and will hopefully emerge quite changed, configured for two with one person lying down and the other sitting in the tower. But even with a 30 second test lying down in the stripped out cabin I can tell the person in the prone position will need an advanced degree in yoga and series of painkiller shots. Does anyone have some ergonomic lessons learned for prone crew? It may be as simple as making a cushion standard equipment, or maybe I could try to build a sort of folding table-like device in front of the viewport so that a person could rest their chest on it. Since prone positions are fairly common, I'm just wondering what folks have found works best (or at least hurts less).
Thanks,
Alec
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