Reported level of pain of upper extremities related to multi-factorial workloads among office workers during and after work hours.
OBJECTIVE
This research compared the level of reported pain between women workers with high workload (main work involved typing) and women workers with low workload (various office work where typing was not the main task). The research examined the relationship between reported pain of upper extremities (UE) and the following variables: physical strain exerted during typing on a computer keyboard, extra-work strain on UE, bio-demographic variables, psychosocial variables, and ergonomic variables.


METHODS
Participants were 60 women who worked in offices, divided into two groups. The index group included women whose main work involved typing (high workload: M=6.16 h of typing per day), and the control group did various office work where typing was not the main task (low workload: M=3.23 h of typing per day). The level of pain, physical strain, and data concerning bio-demographic variables, psychosocial variables and ergonomic variables was assessed by a self-reported questionnaire.


RESULTS
The results suggested that there was a significant difference between workers with high and low typing workloads. Workers with higher typing load reported higher levels of pain. There was a significant positive correlation between level of reports of pain and levels of physical overload at work, and extra-work strain on UE both among workers with high and low workloads. It was also found that levels of pain correlated significantly with bio-demographic variables (age and number of children) and psychosocial variables (managerial responsibilities) among low workload workers only.


CONCLUSIONS
The research on pain of UE indicates that pain may be affected by a multi-factorial nature of a work-related environment which includes physical strain exerted during typing on a computer keyboard, extra-work strain on UE, bio-demographic variables and psychosocial variables.
Occupational Therapy Department, School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
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NZ
Ratzon
Occupational Therapy Department, School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
T
T
Jarus
Occupational Therapy Department, School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
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G
Baranes
Occupational Therapy Department, School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Y
Y
Gilutz
The School of Occupational Therapy, Hadassah and The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.
A
A
Bar-Haim Erez
Keyboard; Pain; Physical strain