Effect of an ergonomic intervention involving workstation adjustments on musculoskeletal pain in office workers-a randomized controlled clinical trial
OrthoEvidence Journal (OE Journal) - ACE Report
OE Journal. 2021;9(8):13 Ind Health. 2021 Mar 24;59(2): 78-85.What this means for my practice?
The results of from this study may suggest that ergonomic workstation interventions do not provide a significant reduction in musculoskeletal pain for office workers. This study was limited by the lack of compliance monitoring, small sample size, and absence of non-pain related outcomes measures. Future trials are required to further investigate the efficacy of ergonomic workplace interventions in reducing musculoskeletal pain in office workers.
Study Summary
Sixty-four office employees working at least 20 hours in the office were randomized to receive 36 weeks of ergonomic intervention (adjustment of workstation to improve posture and comfort; n=32) or no intervention (control; n=32) for the improvement of pain. Outcomes of interest included pain intensity in the neck, shoulders, upper back, elbow, lower back, hand/wrist, hip/thigh, knee, and foot/ankle. Outcomes were assessed at 12, 24, and 36 weeks follow-up. Results revealed a significant difference in favour of the ergonomic group compared to the control group for pain in the neck, shoulder, upper back, and hand/wrist (p<0.05 for all). However, in the rate of pain improvement from baseline, no statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups in all regions (p>0.05 for all).
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