Objective: Given the high exposure to occupational standing in specific occupations, and recent initiatives to encourage intermittent standing among white-collar workers, a better understanding of the potential health consequences of occupational standing is required.We aimed to review and quantify the epidemiological evidence on associations of occupational standing with musculoskeletal symptoms.Design: A systematic review was performed. Data from included articles were extracted and described, and meta-analyses conducted when data were sufficiently homogenous. Conclusions: The evidence suggests that 'excessive' occupational standing is associated with the occurrence of low-back and (inconclusively) lower extremity symptoms, but there may not be such an association with upper extremity symptoms. Only limited evidence from high quality, longitudinal studies using objectively measured standing was found. The association of occupational standing with musculoskeletal symptoms is yet unclear, with no current systematic review quantifying this association.
WHAT ARE THE NEW FINDINGS: We systematically reviewed literature and identified substantial evidence (50 articles from n=88,158 participants) describing associations of occupational standing with low-back, lower extremity and upper extremity symptoms. We found evidence (including pooled data from a meta-analysis) for associations between occupational standing and the occurrence of low-back and (inconclusively) lower extremity symptoms, however not for upper extremity symptoms. We found only limited evidence from high quality, longitudinal studies using objectively measured standing was found. Such information is needed to provide more definitive evidence to inform good work design for both blue-and white-collar workers.4