MUSCULOSKELETAL HEALTH DISORDERS ASSOCIATED WITH COMPUTER USE AMONG MINIA UNIVERSITY EMPLOYEES

Abstract

Introduction: Occupational use of computers has increased rapidly over recent decades, and has been linked with various musculoskeletal complaints.Repetitive hand movements lead to overload of the upper extremity and neck, and prolonged sitting posture leads to overload on the lower back. Pain in the upper extremities and the neck-shoulder region will affect the workers’ health and productivity and it accounts for most work-related time lost. Aim of work: To identify the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms and associated risk factors among computer office workers in Minia University. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study; a total of 182 computer office workers in Minia University were interviewed during the period from January to June 2016. Every participant completed a questionnaire that included his socio-demographic data, and information about any job-related musculoskeletal disorders. Describing and determining the site of pain was performed by using the Maastricht Upper Extremity Questionnaire (MUEQ). Results: The prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints was arranged in the following order: lower back pain (78%), neck complaints (68.1%) and upper musculoskeletal complaints (61.5%). There were significant associations between doing repetitive tasks, and not taking breaks on the one hand and lower back pain complaint on the other hand (p<0.001and 0.03, respectively). Conclusion: a high prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints was observed among computer office workers due to poor ergonomic practices in their workplace, being in the same position for long period, doing repetitive tasks and lack of regular breaks. The use of ergonomic principles will reduce these types of pain.