Work related and individual predictors for incident neck pain among office employees working with video display units (original) (raw)
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Individual and work related risk factors for neck pain among office workers: a cross sectional study
European Spine Journal, 2007
Work related neck disorders are common problems in office workers, especially among those who are intensive computer users. It is generally agreed that the etiology of work related neck disorders is multidimensional which is associated with, and influenced by, a complex array of individual, physical and psychosocial factors. The aim of the current study was to estimate the one-year prevalence of neck pain among office workers and to determine which physical, psychological and individual factors are associated with these prevalences. Five hundred and twelve office workers were studied. Information was collected by an online questionnaire. Self-reported neck pain during the preceding 12 months was regarded as a dependent variable, whereas different individual, work-related physical and psychosocial factors were studied as independent variables. The 12 month prevalences of neck pain in office workers was 45.5%. Multivariate analysis revealed that women had an almost two-fold risk compared with men (OR = 1.95, 95% CI 1.22-3.13). The odds ratio for age indicates that persons older than 30 years have 2.61 times more chance of having neck pain than younger individuals (OR = 2.61, 95% CI 1.32-3.47). Being physically active decreases the likelihood of having neck pain (OR = 1.85, 95% CI 1.14-2.99). Significant associations were found between neck pain and often holding the neck in a forward bent posture for a prolonged time (OR = 2.01, 95% CI 1.20-3.38), often sitting for a prolonged time (OR = 2.06, 95% CI 1.17-3.62) and often making the same movements per minute (OR = 1.63, 95% CI 1.02-2.60). Mental tiredness at the end of the workday (OR = 2.05, 95% CI 1.29-3.26) and shortage of personnel (OR = 1.71, 95% CI 1.06-2.76) are significantly associated with neck pain. The results of this study indicate that physical and psychosocial work factors, as well as individual variables, are associated with the frequency of neck pain. These association patterns suggest also opportunities for intervention strategies in order to stimulate an ergonomic work place setting and increase a positive psychosocial work environment.
Risk factors for neck pain in office workers: A prospective study
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 2006
Background: Persisting neck pain is common in society. It has been reported that the prevalence of neck pain in office workers is much higher than in the general population. The costs to the worker, employer and society associated with work-related neck pain are known to be considerable and are escalating. The factors that place office workers at greater risk of developing neck pain are not understood. The aim of this study is to investigate the incidence and risk factors of work-related neck pain in Australian office workers. Methods/design: We will conduct a prospective cohort study. A cohort of office workers without neck pain will be followed over a 12 month period, after baseline measurement of potential risk factors. The categories of risk factors being evaluated are physical (cervical spine posture, range of movement, muscle endurance and exercise frequency), demographic (age, sex), work environment (sitting duration, frequency of breaks) and psychosocial (psychological distress and psychosocial work factors). Cox regression analysis will be used to identify risk factors associated with work-related neck pain, and will be expressed as hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals. The data will also enable the incidence of neck pain in this population to be estimated. Discussion: In addition to clarifying the magnitude of this occupational health problem these data could inform policy in workplaces and provide the basis for primary prevention of neck pain in office workers, targeting the identified risk factors.
Jambura Medical and Health Science Journal, 2023
Introduction: Longer work processes with non-ergonomic working postures by employees who use computers can certainly cause musculoskeletal tension. One of the musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) associated with computer use is complaints of non-specific neck pain caused by a non-ergonomic posture of the neck muscles over a long period, which causes muscle tension. This study aims to determine the relationship between working posture and duration of work using a computer on non-specific neck pain complaints among Hasanuddin University Rectorate employees. Method: A cross-sectional research design was carried out on 121 administrative employees aged >22 years who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Assessment of working posture uses the Baseline Risk Identification of Ergonomic Factor (BRIEF) questionnaire, and for nonspecific neck pain complaints using the Nordic Body Map (NBM) questionnaire. The Spearman's rho correlation test analyzes the relationship between variables. Results: 49 out of 121 respondents had a high-risk working posture for non-specific neck pain, and 59 out of 121 had a long working duration. Working posture is positively correlated with symptoms of non-specific neck pain (p = 0.001; r = 0.598). In contrast, work duration did not correlate with symptoms of non-specific neck pain (p = 0.063; r = 0.169). Conclusion: High-risk working postures can predict the incidence of non-specific neck pain in office administration employees. This can be a consideration for office leaders to pay attention to the working posture of their employees.
European Spine Journal, 2009
Neck pain is more prevalent in office workers than in the general community. To date, findings from prospective studies that investigated causal relationships between putative risk factors and the onset of neck pain in this population have been limited by high loss to follow-up. The aim of this research was to prospectively evaluate a range of risk factors for neck pain in office workers, using validated and reliable objective measures as well as attain an estimate of 1-year incidence. We assembled a cohort of 53 office workers without neck pain and measured individual, physical, workplace and psychological factors at baseline. We followed participants for 1 year to measure the incidence of neck pain. We achieved 100% participant follow-up. Cox regression analysis was applied to examine the relationship between the putative risk factors and the cumulative incidence of neck pain. The 1-year incidence proportion of neck pain in Australian office workers was estimated in this study to be 0.49 (95% CI 0.36-0.62). Predictors of neck pain with moderate to large effect sizes were female gender (HR: 3.07; 95% CI: 1.18-7.99) and high psychological stress (HR: 1.64; 95% CI: 0.66-4.07). Protective factors included increased mobility of the cervical spine (HR: 0.44; 95% CI: 0.19-1.05) and frequent exercise (HR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.27-1.51). These results reveal that neck pain is common in Australian office workers and that there are risk factors that are potentially modifiable.
THE EFFECTS OF AN ERGONOMIC WORKSTATION INTERVENTION AND EXERCISE ON OFFICE WORKERS WITH NECK PAIN
The Effects of an Ergonomic Workstation Intervention and Exercise on Office Workers with Neck Pain Introduction: Neck pain is a common musculoskeletal injury encountered in the general population, especially amongst office workers. Neck pain alters the way the neck muscles behave and this can be measured using electromyographic (EMG) techniques. Neck exercises have been shown to reduce neck pain symptoms. Poor individual office workstation ergonomics have also been linked to neck pain. There is conflicting evidence regarding the effectiveness of ergonomics to reduce neck pain. Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the short-term efficacy of individual computer workstation ergonomic adjustments, with the addition of a computer-based neck exercise programme, on the cervical flexion-relaxation ratio and the neck pain disability index score on office workers suffering from grade I/II neck pain. Methods: The study was a randomised control trial consisting of 52 participants from five organisations in the Cape Town Metropolitan area that have large office staff populations. Both groups received individual computer workstation ergonomic adjustments and the experimental group received the addition of a computer-based neck exercise programme. Measurements were recorded at baseline and at eight weeks post intervention. Outcome measures used included the cervical flexion-ratio, the neck pain disability index score, the perceived stress score, and the rapid office strain assessment score. Results: There were 52 participants’ data for analysis, with 25 participants comprising the control group, and 27 participants comprising the experimental group. No significant improvements within both groups and between both groups in terms of the primary outcome measure, the cervical FRR, were found. There were, however, significant improvements observed between groups and within groups for the neck pain disability index score. The perceived stress score remained unchanged between and within both groups over the duration of the study. Both groups also showed a significant improvement in their ROSA scores at the conclusion of the study, with no significant difference between the groups. Conclusion: Individual ergonomic workstation adjustments are able to significantly reduce the neck pain disability index score of office workers complaining of Gr I/II neck pain. The addition of a computer-based neck exercise programme is able to add significant improvements to this population group. KEYWORDS: Ergonomics, Workstation, Exercise, Neck Pain
Workplace Factors Associated With Neck Pain Experienced by Computer Users: A Systematic Review
Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 2018
Introduction: The purpose of this systematic review was to examine literature on workplace factors associated with neck pain or symptoms in computer users performing clerical functions. Methods: A systematic search of the Cochrane, Medline, CINAHL, and EMBASE databases was conducted for observational and experimental studies published since 2000. This review applied the case definition of The Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders. Results: Seven hundred twenty-nine studies were identified. Seven hundred and two studies were excluded. Twentyseven studies fulfilled inclusion criteria and were assessed for risk of bias. Cross-sectional studies were commonly at risk from nonresponse bias and lack of adequate case definitions. Experimental studies were mostly at risk of bias due to confounding and participant recruitment methods. Conclusions: Neck pain was not significantly associated with high job demands, low skill discretion, low decision authority, or low peer support. However, when these variables were combined with increased duration of computing tasks, or ergonomic demands, they reached significance. Supervisor support was found to be the only significant buffer capable of preventing these variables reaching significance in female office workers.
Prevalence and risk factors for neck pain among health care workers
Indian Journal of Community Health
Background: Work related neck pain (WRNP) is common among professionals. Its cause is multifactorial and results in loss of productivity and avoidable morbidity. Aims & Objectives: To estimate the prevalence and risk factors of WRNP among the support staff of a tertiary hospital. Material & Methods: 558 support staff were randomly selected to estimate the prevalence of neck pain. Staff with severe WRNP were then included in a nested case control study to identify risk factors. Results: 37% of workers reported neck pain in the preceding 3 months. Female gender, improper posture, jobs requiring repetitive movements, perception of decreased job control, high body mass index and psychosocial stress were identified as the significant risk factors. Conclusion: Better ergonomics, improving the perception of job control and encouraging micro breaks during the work time may decrease WRNP.