Non-Specific Pain In The Workplace

Non-specific pain (simple or mechanical) is a major health problem that is caused by structures, rather than by any specific conditions(Carlson and Carlson 2011). The prevalence of non-specific pain & musculoskeletal disorders are increasing among desk workers. Office based (desk bound) workers are more likely to have high occupational sitting and they spend 75% of working hours in prolonged sitting, unbroken bouts of 30 minutes or more(de Vries et al. 2011a). Occupational sitting is the major cause of sedentary behavior and is highly prevalent in office- based workplace (de Vries et al. 2011b). Prolonged sitting time is associated with increased risk for chronic conditions, premature mortality and cardio metabolic risk(Owen et al. …show more content…
The majority 60-70% of workers with Non-Specific pain stays at work despite pain and without sick leave. The nature of office work has changed considerably over the last couple of decades, such that workers do not have to move from their work stations even for simple activities. Consequently workers have become less physically active at their workplace compared to leisure time. Ryan 2011, found that office based employee spent 66% of their total time spent at work sitting, reduction in sitting usually results in an increase in physical activity of light to moderate intensity like standing or …show more content…
Non-specific pain is serious and increasing among workers which cause absence at work, becomes an incremental risk of a chronic disease. A change in lifestyle can be a big decision and can adversely impact the person. One in every three individuals experience pain in the absence of a clear specific disorder and the cause is not known & further could lead to physical inactivity. In some cross-sectional studies, physical inactivity has been associated with high prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints (Peter O’ Sullivan 2012). More than 50% of the computer workers and prolonged sitting has been associated with neck, back and upper extremity symptoms. (thomsen & mikkelsen, 2011). Study among workers like alternated sitting and standing, experienced pain and discomfort in upper limbs & lower limbs. Few systematic reviews suggest an association of sedentary lifestyle and upper limb pain. (Bakker,Verhagen,Vaan Triggfel & koes 2009) (da costa & veira 2010). But the evidence is inconsistent and the other reviews have failed to find conclusive support for these associations. Therefore there is a need to understand the association between risk of non-specific pain and physical activity in prolonged sitting