Sammendrag
Objectives: Arm elevation and trunk forward bending in upright positions at work are considered risk factors for musculoskeletal pain. However, no studies have investigated their associations using precise objective measurements among home care workers. This study aimed to explore the association between awkward work postures and neck/shoulder pain (NSP) and low back pain (LBP) among home care workers using wearable sensors.
Methods: Home care workers (N=105) from 11 home care units in Trondheim, Norway, completed a questionnaire, and a diary about pain assessment and working hours, and wore three accelerometers (Axivity AX3) for up to seven consecutive days. The data of work postures were transformed into compositional data expressed as the isometric log ratios (ilrs). The negative binomial generalized linear mixed models were used to analyze the relationship between awkward work postures and NSP and LBP, respectively.
Results: In the adjusted model, controlling for age, gender, and BMI, a positive association was found between time spent with arm elevation ≥60° in upright positions and NSP (P=0.045, B=0.504; B represents the efficient) and a trend of a positive association between time spent with arm elevation ≥90° in upright positions and NSP (P=0.064, B=0.297). Adding three more minutes to arm elevation ≥60° in upright positions from <60° will increase the NSP intensity by 16% compared to the average pain, while adding three more minutes to arm elevation ≥90° in upright positions from <90° will increase that by 31%. No significant association was found between different degrees of trunk forward bending in upright positions and LBP.
Conclusions: There was a positive dose–response association between arm elevation ≥60° in upright positions and NSP, as well as a tendency of a positive association between arm elevation ≥90° in upright positions and NSP. Further, the NSP intensity increases more with higher degrees of arm elevation. However, there was no association between trunk forward bending in upright positions and LBP.