Office Ergonomics and Neck Pain
Original Editor - Eugenie Lamprecht Top Contributors - Eugenie Lamprecht, Simisola Ajeyalemi, Kim Jackson, Rucha Gadgil and Khloud Shreif
Introduction[edit | edit source]
Neck pain is more common among office workers than any other occupation, while the annual prevalence ranges from 42-63%. The socioeconomic burden is another issue as neck pain impacts the employer, as well as the employee's performance, health, productivity, medical costs, and compensation claims[1].
One study indicated that 90% of employees spend more than 4hours/ day behind a computer[2]. This emphasizes the need for workplace interventions to reduce and prevent neck pain in office workers, as well as reduce costs and improve productivity.[1]
Risk Factors[edit | edit source]
- Gender: Females are at higher risk for developing neck pain and research suggest the reason may be that women have a higher musculoskeletal load and report symptoms more often.
- Age: The risk of developing neck pain increases until 50 years of age and then starts to decline.
- Exercise frequency: Exercising at least 3 times a week may reduce the risk of developing neck pain by 1.5 times.
- Mobility of the cervical spine.
- Prolonged sustained posture: Holding the neck in a semi-flexed position for a long duration increases the risk of developing neck pain. The neck and upper back muscles are required to provide stability to the 'moving' arms, hands and finger, which in turn leads to muscle tension and repetitive strain. Prolonged sitting posture affects the natural curvature of the spine, while also increasing the pressure on vertebral discs, ligaments, and muscles.
- Workstation design and sitting posture/ ergonomics: A poorly designed working station has a direct impact on musculoskeletal injuries such as neck pain, as it overloads certain body parts.
- Psychological stress: Slightly elevated stress levels can increase the risk of developing neck pain by 1.6 times. Other aspects like anxiety, depression and support also increase the risk of developing neck pain.[3][4]
Relevant Anatomy[edit | edit source]
Affect of Office Ergonomics on the Neck[edit | edit source]
Physiotherapy Management[edit | edit source]
Prevention[edit | edit source]
Rehabilitation[edit | edit source]
Education[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chen X, Coombes BK, Sjøgaard G, Jun D, O’Leary S, Johnston V. Workplace-based interventions for neck pain in office workers: systematic review and meta-analysis. Physical therapy. 2018 Jan 1;98(1):40-62.
- ↑ Shikdar AA, Al-Kindi MA. Office ergonomics: deficiencies in computer workstation design. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics. 2007 Jan 1;13(2):215-23.
- ↑ Hush JM, Michaleff Z, Maher CG, Refshauge K. Individual, physical and psychological risk factors for neck pain in Australian office workers: a 1-year longitudinal study. European spine journal. 2009 Oct 1;18(10):1532-40.
- ↑ Cagnie B, Danneels L, Van Tiggelen D, De Loose V, Cambier D. Individual and work related risk factors for neck pain among office workers: a cross sectional study. European Spine Journal. 2007 May 1;16(5):679-86.
