Spinal sagittal alignment, spinal shrinkage and back pain changes in office workers during a workday. Issue 1 (2nd January 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Rabal-Pelay, Juan; Cimarras-Otal, Cristina; Berzosa, César; Bernal-Lafuente, Marta; Ballestín-López, José Luis; Laguna-Miranda, Carmen; Planas-Barraguer, Juan Luis; Bataller-Cervero, Ana Vanessa
• Is Part Of: International journal of occupational safety and ergonomics. Volume 28:Issue 1(2022)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 7
• Publication Date: 2022-01-02
• Subjects: occupational back pain -- ergonomics -- spine -- seated work -- sitting height; Human engineering -- Periodicals; Industrial safety -- Periodicals; Human Engineering -- Periodicals; Occupational Health -- Periodicals; Ergonomie -- Périodiques; Sécurité du travail -- Périodiques; Human engineering; Industrial safety; Periodicals; 620.8
• DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2019.1701238
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1080-3548

Abstract

Abstract : Purpose. Prolonged sitting is a risk factor for the appearance of lower back pain during work. The aim of this study was to observe changes in spinal sagittal alignment, height and the perception of back pain in office workers during a workday. Materials and methods. Forty-one office workers (20 women) were enrolled into a cross-sectional study. Height, sitting height and degrees of thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis as well as perceived neck pain, lower back pain and upper back pain were determined, before and after an 8-h workday. Results. At the end of the day, workers had a significant decrease ( p = 0.000) in height and sitting height, and upper back pain increased significantly ( p = 0.023). In men, spinal shrinkage correlated with neck pain ( r = 0.410, p = 0.027), and lumbar lordosis degrees in women correlated negatively with upper back pain at the end of the day ( r = −0.440, p = 0.012). Conclusions. Spinal shrinkage equally affects men and women who perform the same work. There are no changes in spinal sagittal alignment throughout the workday in office workers. Office workers show significantly increased pain in the upper back at the end of the day.