Impact of a workplace exercise program on neck and shoulder segments in office workers

• Main Authors: Mariana Machado-Matos, Pedro Miguel Arezes
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidad Nacional de Colombia 2016-03-01
• Series: Dyna
• Subjects: work-related musculoskeletal disorders; workplace exercise; shoulder; neck; pain; flexibility
• Online Access: https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/dyna/article/view/56611

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are a common problem among office workers. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of a workplace exercise program on neck and shoulder pain and flexibility in office workers. The workstation assessment was performed using Rapid Office Strain Assessment. Workers were assessed for pain pre- and post-implementation of the workplace exercise program using the Nordic Questionnaire for Musculoskeletal Symptoms, and for flexibility. The program lasted 3 months and entailed twice weekly sessions. The sample consisted of an intervention group (n = 30) and a control group (n = 8). The results suggest improvements in pain reduction and increased flexibility. The workers had less musculoskeletal pain at the end of the evaluation. The increase in flexibility between the evaluations was significant in the intervention group, though there were slight improvements there too.