Neck Solutions Blog

Neck-upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders among workers in the telecommunications company at mansoura city

From: Int J Occup Saf Ergon. 2011;17(2):195-205

Persisting neck pain is common in society. It has been reported that the prevalence of neck pain in office workers is much higher than in the general population. The costs to the worker, employer and society associated with work-related neck pain are known to be considerable and are escalating.

Neck and upper limb symptoms are frequently reported by computer workers. More than 50% of the computer workers report symptoms in neck, shoulders, arms, wrists or fingers. In the year 2002, 28% of the general Dutch working population suffered from pain or stiffness in the neck, shoulder, arms, hands or wrists in the previous 12 months. In Europe the prevalence for work-related neck/shoulder pain was 25% and 15% for work-related arm pain. The total yearly costs of neck and upper limb symptoms in the Netherlands due to decreased productivity, sick leave, chronic disability for work and medical costs were recently estimated at 2.1 billion euros.

The increase in computer and mouse use has been associated with an increased prevalence of disorders in the neck and upper extremities. Poor workstation design, continuous computer use for the entire workday and repetitive computer work, such as data entry, were associated with an increased risk of developing symptoms. It has also been shown that the musculoskeletal disorders associated with computer mouse use are increasing.

A positive relation has been found between various neck disorders and work related risk factors, such as static neck and arm postures, duration of sitting, as well as workplace design. Among other job characteristics, high quantitative job demands, having little influence on one’s work situation, and limited rest break opportunities have been found as predictors of neck pain.

(more…)

Musculoskeletal disorders among university student computer users

From: Med Lav. 2009 Jan-Feb;100(1):29-34

Musculoskeletal disorders are a common problem among computer users. Many epidemiological studies have shown that ergonomic factors and aspects of work organization play an important role in the development of these disorders. The authors carried out a cross-sectional survey to estimate the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms among university students using personal computers and to investigate the features of occupational exposure and the prevalence of symptoms throughout the study course. Another objective was to assess the students’ level of knowledge of computer ergonomics and the relevant health risks.

A questionnaire was distributed to 183 students attending the lectures for second and fourth year courses of the Faculty of Architecture. Data concerning personal characteristics, ergonomic and organizational aspects of computer use, and the presence of musculoskeletal symptoms in the neck and upper limbs were collected. Exposure to risk factors such as daily duration of computer use, time spent at the computer without breaks, duration of mouse use and poor workstation ergonomics was significantly higher among students of the fourth year course.

Neck pain was the most commonly reported symptom (69%), followed by hand/wrist (53%), shoulder (49%) and arm (8%) pain. The prevalence of symptoms in the neck and hand/wrist area was signifcantly higher in the students of the fourth year course. In this survey we found high prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms among university students using computers for long time periods on a daily basis. Exposure to computer related ergonomic and organizational risk factors, and the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms both seem to increase significantly throughout the study course. Furthermore, they found that the level of perception of computer related health risks among the students was low. Our findings suggest the need for preventive intervention consisting of education in computer ergonomics.