Effect of an ergonomic intervention based on furniture's adjustments in musculoskeletal pain in office workers: controlled clinical trial with a 36 weeks follow-up

• Grant number: 18/20880-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2019
• End date: December 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Tatiana de Oliveira Sato
• Grantee: Stefany Lee
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Contextualization: Office workers remain long periods in a seated static position and in inadequate postures, exposing them to the development of musculoskeletal symptoms. Adjustment in the furniture in order to correct these postures has been shown in the literature. However, evidence of the efficiency of these ergonomic interventions in the long-term symptoms is still scarce. Objective: To compare the experimental group (individuals who will pass by ergonomic intervention) and control group about the following aspect: the intensity of musculoskeletal pain in the office workers' body regions like neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand, upper back, lower back, hip and thigh, knee and ankle and feet. The comparison will be between the period before and after 12, 24 and 36 weeks of intervention. Method: Workers who have work routine in the office will be evaluated. These individuals are going to be divided into control group (GC) and experimental group (GE) and allocation will be performed randomly. Only the GE will receive an ergonomic intervention in the jobs. To quantify the outcomes, a numerical pain scale will be applied along with the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (QNSO) which will be e-mailed to the workers every 12 weeks. For intergroup comparison, the Mann Whitney test will be applied, taking as a dependent variable the difference between the pre and 12, 24 and 36 weeks post-intervention measurements. The data will be analyzed using the SPSS program (version 22.0) and the level of significance adopted will be 5%, which will be adjusted for multiple comparisons. Expected results: The EG presents a lower average of pain after the intervention when compared to the GC as well as to maintain this difference in subsequent evaluations, or even the control group will worsen in relation to pre-intervention data.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

LEE, STEFANY; DE BARROS, FERNANDA CABEGI; MORIGUCHI DE CASTRO, CRISTIANE SHINOHARA; DE OLIVEIRA SATO, TATIANA. Effect of an ergonomic intervention involving workstation adjustments on musculoskeletal pain in office workers -a randomized controlled clinical trial. INDUSTRIAL HEALTH, v. 59, n. 2, p. 78-85, 2021. (18/20880-9)