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What Psychosocial and Physical Characteristics Differentiate Office Workers Who Develop Standing-Induced Low Back Pain? A Cross-Sectional Study.

ABSTRACT: This study examines demographic, physical and psychosocial factors associated with an increase in low back pain (LBP) during a one-hour standing task. A cross-sectional survey with 40 office workers was conducted. The primary outcome was pain severity during a one-hour standing task recorded every 15 min using a 100 mm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Participants were defined as pain developers (PD), if they reported a change in pain of ?10 mm from baseline, or non-pain developers (NPD). Physical outcomes included participant-rated and examiner-rated trunk and hip motor control and endurance. Self-report history of LBP, physical activity, psychosocial job characteristics, general health and pain catastrophising were collected. Fourteen participants were PD. Hip abduction, abdominal and spinal muscle endurance was lower for PD (p ? 0.05). PD had greater self-reported difficulty performing active hip abduction and active straight leg raise tests (p ? 0.04). Those reporting a lifetime, 12 month or 7-day history of LBP (p < 0.05) and lower self-reported physical function (p = 0.01) were more likely to develop LBP during the standing task. In conclusion, a history of LBP, reduced trunk and hip muscle endurance and deficits in lumbopelvic/hip motor control may be important to consider in office workers experiencing standing-induced LBP.

SUBMITTER: Rodriguez-Romero B

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7579504 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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What Psychosocial and Physical Characteristics Differentiate Office Workers Who Develop Standing-Induced Low Back Pain? A Cross-Sectional Study.

Rodríguez-Romero Beatriz B Smith Michelle D MD Quintela-Del-Rio Alejandro A Johnston Venerina V

International journal of environmental research and public health 20200928 19

This study examines demographic, physical and psychosocial factors associated with an increase in low back pain (LBP) during a one-hour standing task. A cross-sectional survey with 40 office workers was conducted. The primary outcome was pain severity during a one-hour standing task recorded every 15 min using a 100 mm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Participants were defined as pain developers (PD), if they reported a change in pain of ≥10 mm from baseline, or non-pain developers (NPD). Physical o ...[more]

PMID: 32998273

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Project description:BackgroundIn the working population, back disorders are an important reason for sick leave and permanent work inability. In the context of fitting the job to the worker, one of the primary tasks of the occupational health physician is to evaluate the balance between work-related and individual variables. Since this evaluation of work capacity often consists of a physical examination of the back, the objective of this study was to investigate whether a physical examination of the low back, which is routinely performed in occupational medicine, predicts the development of low back pain (LBP).MethodsThis study is part of the Belgian Low Back Cohort (BelCoBack) Study, a prospective study to identify risk factors for the development of low back disorders in occupational settings. The study population for this paper were 692 young healthcare or distribution workers (mean age of 26 years) with no or limited back antecedents in the year before inclusion. At baseline, these workers underwent a standardised physical examination of the low back. One year later, they completed a questionnaire on the occurrence of LBP and some of its characteristics. To study the respective role of predictors at baseline on the occurrence of LBP, we opted for Cox regression with a constant risk period. Analyses were performed separately for workers without any back antecedents in the year before inclusion ('asymptomatic' workers) and for workers with limited back antecedents in the year before inclusion ('mildly symptomatic' workers).ResultsIn the group of 'asymptomatic' workers, obese workers showed a more than twofold-increased risk on the development of LBP as compared to non-obese colleagues (RR 2.57, 95%CI: 1.09 - 6.09). In the group of 'mildly symptomatic' workers, the self-reports of pain before the examination turned out to be most predictive (RR 3.89, 95%CI: 1.20 - 12.64).ConclusionThis study showed that, in a population of young workers wh no or limited antecedents of LBP at baseline, physical examinations, as routinely assessed in occupational medicine, are not useful to predict workers at risk for the development of back disorders one year later.

Project description:The physical characteristics of postmenopausal women that are associated with upper back pain are not well-understood. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to identify the physical characteristics associated with presence and severity of upper back pain in healthy postmenopausal women. Self-reported upper back pain presence (within the previous month) and severity (numerical rating scale) were examined against the physical characteristics: height; weight; body mass index; breast size; breast ptosis; upper back extensor muscle endurance (isometric chest raise test); head, shoulder and upper back posture (photogrammetry); thoracic extension mobility (photogrammetry); bone mineral density (dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA)); body composition (DXA); and thoracic kyphosis, thoracic osteoarthritis and thoracic vertebral fracture (all radiography). A multivariable logistic regression model, adjusted for age, was built using physical characteristics with a significant univariate association with upper back pain. Censored Tobit regression, adjusted for age, was used to examine each physical characteristic against upper back pain severity. Postmenopausal women (n = 119) with a mean (SD) age of 61.4 (7.0) years participated in the study. After adjusting for age, the physical characteristics independently associated with upper back pain were: height (OR: 0.50, 95% CI: 0.31-0.79); and upper back extensor muscle endurance (OR: 0.46, 95%CI: 0.28-0.75). This model explained 31% of the variance in upper back pain (p<0.001). After adjusting for age, being taller and having better upper back extensor muscle endurance were associated with lower odds for upper back pain. After adjusting for age, differences in upper back pain severity were explained by upper back extensor muscle endurance (p = <0.001) and lean mass (p = 0.01). Conclusion: As a modifiable physical characteristic of postmenopausal women with upper back pain, upper back extensor muscle endurance is worth considering clinically.

Project description:While workplace physical exercise can help manage musculoskeletal disorders, less is known about psychosocial effects of such interventions. This aim of this study was to investigate the effect of workplace physical exercise on psychosocial factors among workers with chronic musculoskeletal pain.The trial design was a 2-armed parallel-group randomized controlled trial with allocation concealment. A total of 66 slaughterhouse workers (51 men and 15 women, mean age 45 years [standard deviation (SD) 10]) with upper limb chronic musculoskeletal pain were randomly allocated to group-based strength training (physical exercise group) or individual ergonomic training and education (reference group) for 10 weeks. Social climate was assessed with the General Nordic Questionnaire for Psychological and Social Factors at Work, and vitality and mental health were assessed with the 36-item Short Form Health Survey. All scales were converted to 0 to 100 (higher scores are better). Between-group differences from baseline to follow-up were determined using linear mixed models adjusted for workplace, age, gender, and baseline values of the outcome.Mean baseline scores of social climate, mental health, and vitality were 52.2 (SD 14.9), 79.5 (SD 13.7), and 53.9 (SD 19.7), respectively. Complete baseline and follow-up data were obtained from 30 and 31 from the physical exercise and reference groups, respectively. The between-group differences from baseline to follow-up between physical exercise and reference were 7.6 (95% CI 0.3 to 14.9), -2.3 (95% CI -10.3 to 5.8), and 10.1 (95% CI 0.6 to 19.5) for social climate, mental health, and vitality, respectively. For social climate and vitality, this corresponded to moderate effect sizes (Cohen d?=?0.51 for both) in favor of physical exercise. There were no reported adverse events.In conclusion, workplace physical exercise performed together with colleagues improves social climate and vitality among workers with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Mental health remained unchanged.

Project description:AimModern office workers are often impacted by chronic neck/shoulder pain. Most of the previous studies which investigated the relationship of the occupational factors and musculoskeletal symptoms had adopted questionnaire survey. In this study the microcirculatory characteristics and perceived symptoms in neck/shoulder region were compared among office workers with sedentary lifestyle.MethodsThirty-seven female office workers were recruited in this study. Microcirculatory flow in neck/shoulder region characterized by the mean blood flow (MMBF value), pulsatile blood flow (PMBF value), and the PMBF/MMBF ratio (perfusion pulsatility, PP) were investigated using Laser Doppler Flowmetry (LDF). A Chinese version of the Standardized Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) were also administered to collect the information of perceived neck/shoulder symptoms. Correlations between the perfusion characteristics and the individual/occupational factors were analyzed using the Spearman test. The difference of the MMBF values between the low-pain group (pain level≤2) and the high-pain group (pain level>2) were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test.ResultsThere were 81% participants reported neck or shoulder pain symptoms. The duration of shoulder pain was significantly correlated with the workers' age and the duration of employment (p<0.01) (n = 37). While both the MMBF and PMBF values in shoulder region were significantly reduced with the workers' age and the duration of employment (p<0.05) (n = 27). And there was a 54% reduction in the MMBF value of the workers from age of 23 to 47. And the MMBF value of the high-pain group (n = 15) was significantly lower than the value of the low-pain group (n = 15) (p<0.05). The duration of shoulder pain showed a moderately negative correlation with PMBF values (n = 19). Besides, the PP value was moderately correlated with shoulder pain level attributed by the rapid reduction of MMBF values (p = 0.07).ConclusionIn this study, the LDF method was used for the first time in the workplace in Taiwan. It was demonstrated that the MMBF in shoulder region were affected by aging effect and towards lower value at higher pain level. Impaired microcirculation caused by age effect, when coupled with sedentary lifestyle, was found to be more likely to evoke ischemia shoulder pain. Further studies are needed to assess current indicator, PP value, and the underlying mechanism of pain caused by sedentary lifestyle.

Project description:ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of workplace active rest programme (WARP) on chronic low back pain (LBP) among office workers.DesignA closed cohort, stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial was conducted. The total duration of the study was 16 weeks (4 weeks for each step). Sequence allocation was randomised, but no one was blinded.SettingThis study was conducted in three offices in a Japanese electronics company. One office was for the administrative department, the others are for the engineering department.ParticipantsWe recruited 29 office workers with LBP greater than 3 months. LBP due to specific injury or disease was excluded. The median age was 38 years, and 26 (90%) were male. All participants completed the study.InterventionsIn the intervention phase, participants performed WARP comprising frequent stand-up and individualised brief exercise/physical activity during work. Physical therapists held an LBP workshop and developed tailor-made programmes before introducing WARP. We instructed participants to perform WARP at five timings during work. Control phase was set before the intervention and participants stayed as usual.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe primary outcome was pain intensity of LBP assessed using the Brief Pain Inventory. The secondary outcomes were work productivity loss measured using the Work Limitations Questionnaire, LBP disability assessed using the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire, psychosocial subscale assessed using the STarT Back Screening Tool and physical activity measured using triaxial accelerometers. These outcomes were collected at baseline and at 4-month follow-up evaluation.ResultsIn the intention-to-treat analysis, WARP did not show any significant effects on pain intensity (β, 0.01; 95% CI -0.50 to 0.52) and on the secondary outcomes. The median adherence to WARP was 28.6% (IQR, 16.8-41.1), which was equal to 1.43 times per day. No adverse effect was observed.ConclusionsThe present study was unable to confirm the effectiveness of active rest in improving LBP. Hence, further study needs to investigate its effectiveness.Trial registration numberUMIN000033210.

Project description:BackgroundProlonged bouts of sedentary time, independent from the time spent in engaging in physical activity, significantly increases cardiometabolic risk. Nonetheless, the modern workforce spends large, uninterrupted portions of the day seated at a desk. Previous research suggests-via improved cardiometabolic biomarkers-that this risk might be attenuated by simply disrupting sedentary time with brief breaks of standing or moving. However, this evidence is derived from acute, highly controlled laboratory experiments and thus has low external validity.ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate if similar or prolonged cardiometabolic changes are observed after a prolonged (2-week) practice of increased brief standing and moving behaviors in real-world office settings.MethodsThis randomized crossover trial, called the WorkWell Study, will compare the efficacy of two 2-week pilot intervention conditions designed to interrupt sitting time in sedentary office workers (N=15) to a control condition. The intervention conditions use a novel smartphone app to deliver real-time prompts to increase standing (STAND) or moving (MOVE) by an additional 6 minutes each hour during work. Our primary aim is to assess intervention-associated improvements to daily postprandial glucose using continuous glucose monitors. Our secondary aim is to determine whether the interventions successfully evoke substantive positional changes and light-intensity physical activity (LPA). Other outcomes include the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention conditions, fasting blood glucose concentration, femoral artery flow-mediated dilation (f-FMD), and systolic and diastolic blood pressure.ResultsThe trial is ongoing at the time of submission.ConclusionsThis study is a novel, randomized crossover trial designed to extend a laboratory-based controlled study design into the free-living environment. By using digital health technologies to monitor and prompt participants in real time, we will be able to rigorously test the effects of breaking up sedentary behavior over a longer period of time than is seen in traditional laboratory-based studies. Our innovative approach will leverage the strengths of highly controlled laboratory and free-living experiments to achieve maximal internal and external validity. The research team's multidisciplinary expertise allows for a broad range of biological measures to be sampled, providing robust results that will extend knowledge of both the acute and chronic real-life effects of increased standing and LPA in sedentary office workers. The WorkWell Study uses a rigorous transdisciplinary protocol that will contribute to a more comprehensive picture of the beneficial effects of breaking up sitting behavior.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04269070; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04269070.International registered report identifier (irrid)DERR1-10.2196/45133.

Dataset Information

What Psychosocial and Physical Characteristics Differentiate Office Workers Who Develop Standing-Induced Low Back Pain? A Cross-Sectional Study.

Publications

What Psychosocial and Physical Characteristics Differentiate Office Workers Who Develop Standing-Induced Low Back Pain? A Cross-Sectional Study.

Similar Datasets

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