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Workplace Interventions for the Prevention or Amelioration of Musculoskeletal Problems in the Working Population

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2019) | Viewed by 18813

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Venerina Johnston

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
RECOVER Injury Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Interests: primary prevention of musculoskeleletal injuries in the workplace; prevention of neck problems in office workers; upskilling supervisors to facilitate a return to work after a musculoskeletal and mental disorder; self-managing return to work following a compensbile musculoskeletal injury

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Musculoskeletal problems in the working population are known to be associated with sick leave, impaired work ability and early retirement. While many interventions, policies and guidelines have been developed for the amelioration of these problems, the global burden remains high and in some countries is increasing.

The nature of work and the work environment is changing. In this Issue, we wish to promote the current evidence for the relationship between the performance of work, and/or the work environment for musculoskeletal symptoms or disorders. Studies, in particular longitudinal prospective studies investigating workplace-based interventions to ameliorate musculoskeletal symptoms/diseases/disorders for the prevention or amelioration of musculoskeletal problems, are welcome.

Researchers are invited to contribute novel work to be considered for publication in this Special Issue. Submissions should include original articles, brief reports, or short communications. Critical reviews (systematic reviews, meta-analyses, scoping reviews, or narrative reviews) will not be accepted. There are no restrictions on study design and methodology (i.e., secondary analyses, cross-sectional or longitudinal design, intervention studies, qualitative studies, etc.).

Dr. Venerina Johnston
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Musculoskeletal disorder
  • Musculoskeletal disease
  • Musculoskeletal symptoms
  • Work ability
  • Ergonomics
  • Occupational
  • Productivity
  • Exercise
  • Pain
  • Health promotion
  • Compensation.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1133 KiB  
Article
Effects of Ergomotor Intervention on Improving Occupational Health in Workers with Work-Related Neck-Shoulder Pain
by Billy C. L. So, Grace P. Y. Szeto, Rufina W. L. Lau, Jie Dai and Sharon M. H. Tsang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(24), 5005; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph16245005 - 09 Dec 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4357
Abstract
(1) Background: Work-related neck and shoulder pain (WRNSP) are common problems, and past occupational research has focused on ergonomic interventions such as adjusting workstations while physiotherapists have traditionally focused on teaching exercises to improve posture and movement control in the clinical setting. The [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Work-related neck and shoulder pain (WRNSP) are common problems, and past occupational research has focused on ergonomic interventions such as adjusting workstations while physiotherapists have traditionally focused on teaching exercises to improve posture and movement control in the clinical setting. The current study aimed to integrate these two approaches and evaluate the immediate and long-term effects of such interventions on occupational exposure outcomes. (2) Methods: A total of 101 patients diagnosed with WRNSP were randomized into 2 groups: Control (CO) group (n = 50) and ergomotor (EM) group (n = 51). Participants in the control group had 12 weeks of usual care (conventional physiotherapy) while participants in the EM group received an integrated program with tailor-made motor control training and ergonomic advice for 12 weeks. (3) Results: Both groups achieved significant improvement in pain and functional outcomes at post-intervention. The EM group also reported significantly improved scores in terms of perceived exertion in the job-related physical demands (JRPD) and the short form workstyle questionnaires compared to the control group. (4) Conclusions: The results suggest that ergomotor intervention may be more effective in producing favorable occupational health outcomes compared to conventional physiotherapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Workplace Interventions for the Prevention or Amelioration of Musculoskeletal Problems in the Working Population)
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10 pages, 519 KiB  
Article
Workplace-Based Exercise Intervention Improves Work Ability in Office Workers: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial
by Joshua Zheng Rui Ting, Xiaoqi Chen and Venerina Johnston
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(15), 2633; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph16152633 - 24 Jul 2019
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 7091
Abstract
Neck pain is a burden to employers and employees amenable to improvement with neck/shoulder strengthening exercises. However, the benefits of such interventions on office workers’ work ability remains unknown. This study evaluated the effects of a 12-week combined ergonomics and neck/shoulder strengthening exercise [...] Read more.
Neck pain is a burden to employers and employees amenable to improvement with neck/shoulder strengthening exercises. However, the benefits of such interventions on office workers’ work ability remains unknown. This study evaluated the effects of a 12-week combined ergonomics and neck/shoulder strengthening exercise intervention (EET, n = 177, mean age 41.7 years, 26% female), versus a 12-week combined ergonomics and health promotion intervention (EHP, n = 173, mean age 43 years, 29% female) on work ability among office workers. Work ability was measured by a single question. Differences in the work ability score were analyzed using the intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (i.e., adherence ≥70%) analyses for between- and within-group differences at baseline, 12 weeks, and 12 months. A sub-group analysis was performed for neck cases, defined as reporting neck pain as ≥3 (out of 10). No significant between-group differences for work ability were observed in the general population, and subgroup of neck cases. A significant group-by-time interaction effect at 12 weeks and the trend for significance at 12 months favored the EET group in the per-protocol analysis of the neck cases. EET was effective in increasing work ability post-intervention and potentially, in the long-term, in symptomatic participants with ≥70% adherence to the intervention. However, EET was not superior to EHP. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Workplace Interventions for the Prevention or Amelioration of Musculoskeletal Problems in the Working Population)
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14 pages, 502 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Required Investigations of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Spain
by Jesús Antonio Carrillo-Castrillo, Ventura Pérez-Mira, María del Carmen Pardo-Ferreira and Juan Carlos Rubio-Romero
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(10), 1682; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph16101682 - 14 May 2019
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3466
Abstract
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are the most common source of occupational health problems in Western countries. In Spain, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) can be reported either as accidents or occupational diseases. When reported as an occupational disease, a full diagnosis is performed, as the compensation [...] Read more.
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are the most common source of occupational health problems in Western countries. In Spain, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) can be reported either as accidents or occupational diseases. When reported as an occupational disease, a full diagnosis is performed, as the compensation system needs the approval of the social security authority and a mandatory investigation has to be performed. Although many methods are available for investigating the causes of occupational accidents, occupational diseases have not been analysed with the same depth, and there is a lack of investigation methods. This paper aims to analyse the role of 43 occupational investigations of causes of musculoskeletal diseases in the prevention cycle. This study is based on the occupational investigations performed by workplaces’ occupational health and safety specialists when musculoskeletal diseases are reported. The analysis of the data involves descriptive statistics and the Φ coefficient. Based on administrative data, 68 workplaces employing 15,260 workers were surveyed and 41 workplaces with 13,201 workers submitted valid questionnaires to be analysed. The most frequent cause of reported musculoskeletal disease, in terms of primary risk, is repetitive movement. The only proposed measure with a significant association to the exposure by repetitive movements is job rotation (alternating workers between tasks within a job or between activities as a means to vary different levels of exposure). The investigation of occupational diseases has been useful in most of the cases for proposing preventive measures. Most of the workplaces surveyed have performed investigations and adopted preventive measures, but the managers of some workplaces were not aware of any disease notification regarding their workers when surveyed. More research is needed to provide tools for this important task. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Workplace Interventions for the Prevention or Amelioration of Musculoskeletal Problems in the Working Population)
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8 pages, 644 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Using a Footstool during a Prolonged Standing Task on Low Back Pain in Office Workers
by Michelle D. Smith, Chun Shing Johnson Kwan, Sally Zhang, Jason Wheeler, Tennille Sewell and Venerina Johnston
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(8), 1405; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph16081405 - 18 Apr 2019
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3385
Abstract
While many office workers experience low back pain (LBP), little is known about the effect of prolonged standing on LBP symptoms. This repeated-measures within-subjects study aimed to determine whether office workers with LBP are able to work at a standing workstation for one [...] Read more.
While many office workers experience low back pain (LBP), little is known about the effect of prolonged standing on LBP symptoms. This repeated-measures within-subjects study aimed to determine whether office workers with LBP are able to work at a standing workstation for one hour without exacerbating symptoms and whether using a footstool affects LBP severity. Sixteen office workers with LBP performed computer work at a standing workstation for one hour under the following two conditions, one week apart: with a footstool and without a footstool. The intensity of LBP was recorded at 10 min intervals. Maximal severity of LBP pain and change in LBP severity throughout the standing task were not different between the footstool and no footstool conditions (p > 0.26). There was a trend for more participants to have an increase in their pain between the start and end of the task when not using a footstool compared to using a footstool (p = 0.10). Most office workers with LBP are able to use a standing workstation without significant exacerbation of symptoms, but a proportion will experience a clinical meaningful increase in symptoms. Using a footstool does not change the severity of LBP experienced when using a standing workstation in individuals with a history of LBP. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Workplace Interventions for the Prevention or Amelioration of Musculoskeletal Problems in the Working Population)
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