Effective Methods of Reducing Lower Back, Neck and Shoulder Pain Among Office Workers

University of Putra Malaysia (UPM)

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 1

Conditions: Musculoskeletal Pain; Low Back Pain

Treatments: Other: Control; Other: ergonomic modification; Other: office exercise training; Other: Exercise and ergonomic

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02874950

UPM/TNCPI/1.4.18.1(JKEUPM)/F2

Details and patient eligibility

About

Background:Musculoskeletal discomforts (MSD), especially in the neck, lower back and shoulder areas, are some of the most common issues among office workers. The Social Security Organization (SOCSO) in Malaysia caps number of cases involving musculoskeletal injuries at a maximum of 10,000 per year.

Objectives: The primary aims of this research were to: 1. Measure the prevalence of MSD in a sample of office workers; 2. Test effective methods of reducing lower back, neck and shoulder pain in this sample by training exercise, or ergonomics modification, or both of them; and 3. Assess discomfort scores and the range of motion of the lower back, neck and shoulder muscles among the office workers after undertaking the different methods for a period of 6 months.

Methods: In a true experimental design, from 10,000 staff in Telecom Malaysia,onehundred and forty two office workers (of whom 50 were male), aged 20-50 y, were allocated randomly, from 3 different locations (Bangsar, Puchung, and Damansara), to one of three intervention groups (receiving training exercise, receiving modified ergonomics, receiving a combination of exercise and ergonomics modification) and a control group (receiving none of these interventions). The Cornell MSD Questionnaire was used to measure musculoskeletal discomforts, with focus on pain severity, before treatment and after 2, 4 and 6 months of the interventions. The range of motion (ROM) of the hip, neck, shoulder and knee were measured by a 12 inch goniometer, and the Borg CR10 scale was used to measure the perceived exertion of training exercises. The rapid office strain assessment (ROSA) questionnaire was used to assess the strain associated with office work. Height and weight were also measured to calculate the body mass index (BMI).

Full description

It is expected that, 6 months intervention including exercise training, ergonomic modification and mixture of these 2 intervention, maybe can decrease the severity of pain in lower back, neck and shoulder among office workers.

Enrollment: 142 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 20 to 50 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Working in office

Exclusion criteria

• Any physical or mental disease any surgery in background any limitation by Dr

Trial design

Primary purpose: Diagnostic

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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142 participants in 4 patient groups

Office exercise training

Experimental group

Description:

A package of exercise raining was defined by the researcher and one of the intervention group did it for 6 months.

Treatment:

Other: office exercise training

Ergonomic modification

Experimental group

Description:

The ergonomic group, followed 6 months ergonomic modification.

Treatment:

Other: ergonomic modification

Exercise and ergonomic

Experimental group

Description:

The mixture group, did 6 months exercise training and also followed 6 months ergonomic modification.

Treatment:

Other: Exercise and ergonomic

Control

Experimental group

Description:

Control group did not do any exercise and did not follow any ergonomic modification.

Treatment:

Other: Control