musculoskeletal disorders

The increasing use of computers, predominantly involving prolonged static sitting, may increase the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). This study aims to examine workstation ergonomic risk and musculoskeletal disorders among computer users through a literature review based on the Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA) and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ). A systematic search was conducted in PubMed and Google Scholar for articles published between 2020 and 2025, following PRISMA guidelines. A total of nine studies that met the inclusion criteria were analyzed narratively. The results indicate that most studies reported moderate to high levels of ergonomic risk, with chair-related factors as the dominant contributors. The prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints was also high, particularly in the neck, shoulders, and lower back. However, the relationship between ROSA scores and musculoskeletal complaints was inconsistent across studies, suggesting the influence of multifactorial determinants. Therefore, ROSA is more appropriately used as a screening tool for ergonomic risk, while NMQ complements it by capturing subjective complaints. The combined use of both instruments is essential to support a more comprehensive ergonomic assessment and the development of effective interventions.

ABSTRACT Low Back Pain (LBP) is a disease caused by non-ergonomic working conditions during manual handling activities. LBP is a leading cause of activity limitations, disability, inability and absenteeism from work. The aim of this study was to analyze ergonomic risk factors for LBP complaints and their relationship to the two in charcoal briquette manufacturing industry workers at PT. Arkelindo Bara Sejahtera. This study was quantitative with a cross-sectional approach. The study was conducted from June to November 2025. The population and sample were 183 and 151 workers, respectively. Research data was obtained from questionnaires, interviews, diagnoses, and direct on-site observations. Data analysis was conducted using univariate, bivariate, and multivariate methods. The results showed that as many as 64.2% of participants experienced complaints of severe LBP. It was also found that awkward postures, static work positions, repetitive movements and excessive force use were at risk of 62.9%, 70.2%, 73.5% and 57.6%, respectively. There is a relationship between awkward postures (p = 0.023, OR = 2.843), static work positions (p =0.004, OR = 3.875), repetitive movements (p = 0.000, OR = 6.013) and excessive force use (p = 0.003, OR = 4.178) and NBP complaints. The dominant ergonomic risk factor for LBP complaints is repetitive movements with an OR value of 6.013. This study indicates that repeated exposure to sitting or standing for more than half the working day, combined with awkward postures such as bending and twisting, were the dominant contributing factors to LBP. It is hoped that companies can implement ergonomic work positions to ensure worker comfort. Keywords: Charcoal Briquette Industry, Ergonomic Risks, Back Pain, Occupational Health. ABSTRAK Nyeri punggung bawah (NPB) merupakan penyakit akibat kondisi kerja yang tidak ergonomis selama aktivitas manual handling. NPB merupakan salah satu penyebab utama keterbatasan aktivitas, kecacatan, ketidakmampuan dan ketidakhadiran dalam bekerja. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk menganalisis faktor risiko ergonomi terhadap keluhan NPB dan hubungan keduanya pada pekerja industri pembuatan briket arang di PT. Arkelindo Bara Sejahtera.Jenis penelitian ini adalah kuantitatif dengan pendekatan cross-sectional. Penelitian dilaksanakan bulan Juni hingga November 2025. Populasi dan sampel berturut-turut adalah 183 dan 151 pekerja. Data penelitian diperoleh dari kuesioner, wawancara, diagnosa dan pengamatan langsung. Analisis data dilakukan secara univariat, bivariat dan multivariat. Hasil menunjukkan bahwa sebanyak 64,2% responden mengalami keluhan NPB berat. Itu ditemukan juga bahwa postur tubuh janggal, posisi kerja statis, gerakan berulang, dan penggunaan tenaga berlebihan masing-masing berisiko sebesar 62,9%, 70,2%, 73,5%, dan 57,6%. Terdapat hubungan antara postur tubuh yang tidak nyaman (p = 0,023, OR = 2,843), posisi kerja statis (p = 0,004, OR = 3,875), gerakan berulang (p = 0,000, OR = 6,013), dan penggunaan tenaga berlebihan (p = 0,003, OR = 4,178) dengan keluhan NPB. Faktor risiko ergonomi dominan terhadap keluhan NPB adalah pergerakan berulang dengan nilai OR 6,013. Penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa paparan berulang terhadap posisi duduk atau berdiri selama lebih dari setengah hari kerja, dikombinasikan dengan postur tubuh janggal seperti membungkuk dan memutar badan, merupakan faktor utama penyebab NPB. Itu diharapkan bahwa perusahaan dapat menerapkan posisi kerja ergonomis agar pekerja nyaman saat bekerja. Kata Kunci: Industri Briket Arang, Risiko Ergonomi, Nyeri Punggung, Kesehatan Kerja.

Purpose: This study aims to develop and evaluate an adaptive ergonomic framework for reducing Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD) risks among pre-elderly workers in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Methodology: This study adopted a sequential quantitative design consisting of two consecutive phases. The first phase involved a cross-sectional ergonomic assessment of 50 pre-elderly MSMEs workers using the Nordic Body Map (NBM), Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA), Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), and Quick Exposure Checklist (QEC). Based on the integrated assessment results, an adaptive ergonomic framework incorporating administrative controls, engineering controls, ergonomic personal protective equipment (PPE), and anthropometry-based workstation redesign was developed. The second phase evaluated the framework through a 14-day before–after intervention study in five selected MSMEs. Results: Most workers were exposed to moderate-to-very high ergonomic risks, with musculoskeletal complaints predominantly affecting the lower back, back, wrists, neck, and lower extremities. Following implementation, QEC exposure scores decreased across the five MSMEs from 68.7–84.5% before intervention to 46.3–63.2% after intervention, accompanied by reductions in REBA/RULA risk classifications and lower NBM complaint levels. Conclusion: The proposed framework effectively reduced ergonomic risks and musculoskeletal complaints among pre-elderly MSMEs workers through practical and low-cost interventions. Originality: This study contributes a comprehensive and context-specific adaptive ergonomic framework that integrates risk assessment, workstation redesign, administrative controls, and ergonomic PPE recommendations tailored to the characteristics of pre-elderly workers in resource-constrained MSMEs.

Objective This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms and work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among orthopedic nurses, identify demographic, occupational, and lifestyle characteristics associated with WMSDs, and explore whether routinely collected characteristics could discriminate nurses with WMSDs from those without. Method A single-center cross-sectional study was conducted among nurses at a tertiary orthopedic specialty hospital in China between March and November 2023. Conventional analyses included multivariable logistic regression, modified Poisson regression with robust standard errors, and negative binomial regression. Logistic regression as a benchmark, elastic-net logistic regression, random forest, XGBoost, and support vector machine were compared using repeated 5-fold cross-validation with fold-specific preprocessing. Prediction performance was assessed using AUC with bootstrap 95% CIs, PR-AUC, Brier score, calibration intercept and slope, and descriptive threshold metrics; TreeSHAP was used for model interpretation. Result Among 948 nurses with valid questionnaires, 654 reported musculoskeletal symptoms in the previous 12 months, irrespective of work attribution (68.99%). After excluding 44 participants with uncertain work-related attribution, 604/904 participants were classified as having work-related WMSDs (66.81%). Each 1-point increase in the strict ergonomic risk score was associated with WMSDs in logistic regression (adjusted OR = 2.631, 95% CI 2.039–3.432; p < 0.001) and modified Poisson regression (adjusted PR = 1.283, 95% CI 1.203–1.369; p < 0.001). The highest observed AUC was 0.752 (95% CI 0.721–0.791) for the domain random forest model; the domain XGBoost model had the highest PR-AUC (0.841). Conclusion Musculoskeletal symptoms and WMSDs were common among orthopedic nurses in this single-center sample. Occupational exposure and postural load were associated with WMSDs. The exploratory prediction models showed limited-to-moderate discrimination and warrant prospective multicenter external validation before practical application.

This study aimed to assess musculoskeletal and ergonomic risk, identify demographic, occupational, lifestyle, and biomechanical characteristics associated with these outcomes, and develop and prioritize ergonomic intervention strategies for petrochemical control room operators. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2025 among 210 male control room operators from an Iranian petrochemical complex using census sampling. Data were collected using the Demographic/Occupational Questionnaire, Persian International Physical Activity Questionnaire (P-IPAQ), Persian Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire (P-ÖMSQ), and Persian Ergonomic Screening and Priority Tool (P-ESPT), complemented by objective postural and plantar pressure assessments. The P-ÖMSQ was used to classify participants according to P-ÖMSQ risk categories, with scores ≥ 90 categorized as moderate-to-high risk. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version 20.0, with descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and multivariable logistic regression. A P-ÖMSQ score within the moderate-to-high risk categories (≥ 90) was observed in 27% of participants, while 78% were classified as having moderate-to-high ergonomic risk. Multivariable logistic regression showed that older age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.09, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02–1.17, p = 0.014), higher body mass index (BMI) (aOR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.04–1.27, p = 0.006), and longer job tenure (aOR = 1.98, 95% CI = 1.01–3.89, p = 0.047) were independently associated with higher odds of being classified in the moderate-to-high-risk P-ÖMSQ category. Lower physical activity was significantly associated with a higher prevalence of forward head posture, thoracic hyperkyphosis, lateral pelvic tilt, and pes planus ( p < 0.05). Objective biomechanical abnormalities were also significantly associated with higher P-ÖMSQ-based and P-ESPT-based risk categories ( p < 0.05). Based on the study findings, 20 ergonomic intervention strategies were proposed and prioritized through a stakeholder-informed participatory process. Older age, higher body mass index, and longer job tenure were associated with higher odds of being classified in the moderate-to-high-risk P-ÖMSQ category, while lower physical activity was associated with selected postural abnormalities among petrochemical control room operators. Several objective biomechanical abnormalities were also associated with P-ÖMSQ-based and P-ESPT-based risk categories. These findings may inform the prioritization of workplace ergonomic interventions; however, the proposed interventions were not evaluated in the present study, and their effectiveness should be assessed in future longitudinal and interventional studies.

هدف این مطالعه، ارزیابی خطر اسکلتی‌عضلانی و ارگونومیک، شناسایی ویژگی‌های جمعیت‌شناختی، شغلی، سبک زندگی و بیومکانیکی مرتبط با این پیامدها و تدوین و اولویت‌بندی راهبردهای مداخله ارگونومیک برای اپراتورهای اتاق کنترل پتروشیمی بود. این مطالعه مقطعی در سال ۲۰۲۵ بر روی ۲۱۰ اپراتور مرد اتاق کنترل از یک مجتمع پتروشیمی ایرانی با استفاده از نمونه‌گیری سرشماری انجام شد. داده‌ها با استفاده از پرسشنامه جمعیت‌شناختی/شغلی، نسخه فارسی پرسشنامه بین‌المللی فعالیت بدنی (P-IPAQ)، نسخه فارسی پرسشنامه غربالگری درد اسکلتی‌عضلانی Örebro (P-ÖMSQ) و ابزار غربالگری و اولویت‌بندی ارگونومیک فارسی (P-ESPT) جمع‌آوری شد و با ارزیابی عینی وضعیت بدنی و فشار کف پا تکمیل گردید. P-ÖMSQ برای طبقه‌بندی شرکت‌کنندگان بر اساس دسته‌های خطر P-ÖMSQ به کار رفت و نمرات ≥ ۹۰ به عنوان خطر متوسط تا زیاد طبقه‌بندی شدند. داده‌ها با استفاده از نرم‌افزار Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) نسخه ۲۰.۰ و با آمار توصیفی، آزمون کای‌اسکوئر و رگرسیون لجستیک چندمتغیره تحلیل شد. نمره P-ÖMSQ در دسته‌های خطر متوسط تا زیاد (≥ ۹۰) در ۲۷٪ از شرکت‌کنندگان مشاهده شد، در حالی که ۷۸٪ در دسته خطر ارگونومیک متوسط تا زیاد طبقه‌بندی شدند. رگرسیون لجستیک چندمتغیره نشان داد که سن بالاتر (نسبت شانس تعدیل‌شده [aOR] = 1.09، فاصله اطمینان ۹۵٪ [CI] = 1.02–1.17، p = 0.014)، شاخص توده بدنی بالاتر (aOR = 1.15، CI = 1.04–1.27، p = 0.006) و سابقه شغلی طولانی‌تر (aOR = 1.98، CI = 1.01–3.89، p = 0.047) به طور مستقل با شانس بالاتر طبقه‌بندی در دسته خطر متوسط تا زیاد P-ÖMSQ مرتبط بودند. فعالیت بدنی کمتر به طور معناداری با شیوع بالاتر وضعیت سر به جلو، هیپرکیفوز توراسیک، کج‌بودن لگن به طرفین و کف پای صاف مرتبط بود (p < 0.05). ناهنجاری‌های بیومکانیکی عینی نیز به طور معناداری با دسته‌های خطر مبتنی بر P-ÖMSQ و P-ESPT مرتبط بودند (p < 0.05). بر اساس یافته‌های مطالعه، ۲۰ راهبرد مداخله ارگونومیک پیشنهاد و از طریق فرایند مشارکتی مبتنی بر ذینفعان اولویت‌بندی شد. سن بالاتر، شاخص توده بدنی بالاتر و سابقه شغلی طولانی‌تر با شانس بالاتر طبقه‌بندی در دسته خطر متوسط تا زیاد P-ÖMSQ مرتبط بودند، در حالی که فعالیت بدنی کمتر با برخی ناهنجاری‌های وضعیتی در میان اپراتورهای اتاق کنترل پتروشیمی ارتباط داشت. چندین ناهنجاری بیومکانیکی عینی نیز با دسته‌های خطر مبتنی بر P-ÖMSQ و P-ESPT مرتبط بودند. این یافته‌ها می‌تواند به اولویت‌بندی مداخلات ارگونومیک محیط کار کمک کند؛ با این حال، مداخلات پیشنهادی در مطالعه حاضر ارزیابی نشدند و اثربخشی آن‌ها باید در مطالعات طولی و مداخله‌ای آینده بررسی شود.

This exploratory study examined the relationship between the massage modalities used, the length of the massage treatment, and the areas of the body massaged on the perceived self-reported effort level and muscular fatigue as well as the ergonomic sensor data for average composite risk score and average fatigue risk score. Participants completed their normal routine of massages while wearing sensors: watch placed on the upper arm to collect physiological data; GoX ® sensor placed on the dominant upper arm and back of the shirt to collect ergonomic data. Participants performed massages in their regular clinic, following their normal treatment plan. Following each session, a survey was completed about the massage treatment, including areas massaged, techniques used and self-reported effort and muscle fatigue. Mean self-reported effort level was 10.71± 2.40, light level on the Borg Scale. Mean self-reported muscular fatigue level was 2.69 ± 0.75, light activity on the RPE scale. Length of time of the massage session was not a strong indicator of subjective or objective measures. No one technique provided an increased risk of fatigue. This exploratory study gave a snapshot into fatigue and risks for work-related musculoskeletal disorders in massage therapists while practicing in their normal clinical setting.

این مطالعه اکتشافی به بررسی رابطه بین انواع ماساژ مورد استفاده، مدت زمان درمان ماساژ و نواحی بدن ماساژ داده‌شده با سطح تلاش ادراک‌شده و خستگی عضلانی خودگزارش‌شده، همچنین داده‌های حسگر ارگونومیک برای امتیاز میانگین ریسک ترکیبی و امتیاز میانگین ریسک خستگی پرداخت. شرکت‌کنندگان در حین انجام روال عادی ماساژ خود، حسگرهایی را پوشیدند: ساعت روی بازوی فوقانی برای جمع‌آوری داده‌های فیزیولوژیک؛ حسگر GoX® روی بازوی غالب فوقانی و پشت پیراهن برای جمع‌آوری داده‌های ارگونومیک قرار گرفت. شرکت‌کنندگان ماساژها را در کلینیک معمول خود و مطابق با برنامه درمانی عادی انجام دادند. پس از هر جلسه، پرسشنامه‌ای درباره درمان ماساژ، از جمله نواحی ماساژ داده‌شده، تکنیک‌های استفاده‌شده و تلاش و خستگی عضلانی خودگزارش‌شده تکمیل شد. میانگین سطح تلاش خودگزارش‌شده ۱۰٫۷۱±۲٫۴۰، سطح سبک در مقیاس Borg بود. میانگین سطح خستگی عضلانی خودگزارش‌شده ۲٫۶۹±۰٫۷۵، فعالیت سبک در مقیاس RPE بود. مدت زمان جلسه ماساژ شاخص قوی‌ای برای سنجه‌های ذهنی یا عینی نبود. هیچ تکنیک خاصی موجب افزایش ریسک خستگی نشد. این مطالعه اکتشافی تصویری اجمالی از خستگی و ریسک اختلالات اسکلتی‌عضلانی مرتبط با کار در ماساژورهایی که در محیط بالینی عادی خود فعالیت می‌کنند ارائه داد.