Computer terminal work and the benefit of microbreaks

McLean, Linda; Tingley, Maureen; Scott, Robert N.; Rickards, Jeremy

doi:10.1016/s0003-6870(00)00071-5

Cited by 249 publications

(181 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Therefore, office workers should be advised to take regular breaks to minimize the impact of office work. Regular breaks have been confirmed to reduce discomfort in the neck in VDT workers without affecting productivity 36) . In conclusion, the prevalence rates of WMSDs among office workers in Beijing, China, were relatively high compared with the studies in other countries.…”

Section: Preventive Measuresmentioning

confidence: 92%

Visual Display Terminal Use Increases the Prevalence and Risk of Work‐related Musculoskeletal Disorders among Chinese Office Workers: A Cross‐sectional Study

et al. 2012

Journal of Occupational Health

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. Working in an office environment is widely known to be associated with work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), which are a diverse set of conditions characterized by pain, aching, stiffness, fatigue, discomfort, tingling and/or numbness, generally appearing in the fingers, hand, wrist, elbow, arm, shoulder, neck and/or low back 2) . The literature consistently demonstrates that VDT users are at increased risk for neck and/or shoulder symptoms relative to the risk expected in low-exposure office or industrial tasks 3,4) . WMSDs in the neck (WMSDs-N) are the most common work-related upper extremity disorders (WRUEDs), and a large range of individual, physical and psychosocial risk factors are associated with the development of WMSDs-N. Individual factors include age, gender, education level, smoking habits and so on; work-related physical factors include awkward posture during work, bending, static sedentary posture and task demands; work-related psychosocial factors include overtime and time spent working to meet deadlines [5][6][7] . In addition, several studies have shown that ergonomic factors (e.g., work station design) were possibly linked to WRUEDs Department of Occupational and EnvironmentalHealth, School of Public Health, Peking University, P.R. China-Objectives: Little is known about workrelated musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among computer users mainland China. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of WMSDs in office workers in Beijing, and to determine risk factors for WMSDs in the neck (WMSDs-N). Methods: In a crosssectional study, a self-administered questionnaire was delivered to 720 office workers who use a computer as a main working tool. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated for risk factors. Results: The prevalence of WMSDs of the neck, shoulder, wrist/hand, upper back and low back amongst office workers were 55.5, 50.7, 31.5, 26.2 and 6.6%, respectively. Both individual risk factor and working condition factors were found to be independently related to WMSDs-N. Conclusions: The WMSDs prevalence rates among office workers in Beijing, China, were high. The most affected area was the neck. Preventive measures for office work should be focused on the neck (e.g., rest breaks). (J Occup Health 2012; 54: 34-43)

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Section: Preventive Measuresmentioning

confidence: 92%

Visual Display Terminal Use Increases the Prevalence and Risk of Work‐related Musculoskeletal Disorders among Chinese Office Workers: A Cross‐sectional Study

et al. 2012

Journal of Occupational Health

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“…McLean et al 13) evaluated the impact of three different microbreak schedules on musculoskeletal discomfort, EMG activity, and productivity in computer operators. Participants were assigned to one of the following microbreak schedules: 20-minute interval group (30-second microbreak every 20 minutes), 40-minute interval group (30-second microbreak every 40 minutes), or the control group (breaks taken whenever needed).…”

Section: Articles On Rest Breaksmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…RCT's with less than 100 participants, as in the study by McLean et al 13) , qualify as level of evidence II research design. This study had strong internal validity 26) .…”

Section: Articles On Rest Breaksmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Computer use frequently causes musculoskeletal discomfort [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] which, according to a survey of the literature, may include muscle tension, muscle fatigue, paresthesia, pain, and/or physical strain in soft tissues and bones 7,[14][15][16][17] . The incidence of musculoskeletal discomfort in computer users is as high as 50% 5,18) .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Effects of Exercise and Rest Breaks on Musculoskeletal Discomfort during Computer Tasks: An Evidence-Based Perspective

Barredo

Mahon

2007

J Phys Ther Sci

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Abstract. OBJECTIVE: To review the strength of research evidence on the effects of exercise and rest breaks on musculoskeletal discomfort during computer tasks and compare the evidence with clinical guidelines. SIGNIFICANCE: The review of research evidence and its comparison with current clinical guidelines provide clinicians with knowledge to make clinically sound decisions in the care and management of individuals with musculoskeletal discomfort during computer tasks. METHODS: Articles from Pubmed, Ovid and references of relevant articles were reviewed for research design and internal validity. Grades of evidence were assigned based on the aggregate strength of articles for each intervention. RESULTS: Fifteen articles (one on exercise, seven on rest breaks, five examining both) met the inclusion criteria. Exercise and rest breaks were each assigned a grade of C. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence supports the use of exercise and rest breaks in reducing musculoskeletal discomfort in computer tasks. The research evidence suggests no additional benefits of exercise over rest breaks alone. Research evidence concurs with the clinical guidelines recommended by OSHA and the Official Disability Guidelines.

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“…Moreover, it concluded that self-reported exposures associated with time spent using the mouse and the keyboard could predict pain or symptoms of the elbow/wrist/hand for low-level exposure, but could not predict clinical conditions verified through medical examinations (Lassen et al, 2004). The tim spent on computer work without natural rest breaks have also been studied and found to be associated with an increased risk of developing musculoskeletal symptoms of the neck and upper extremities (Punnett and Bergqvist, 1997 (Balci and Aghazadeh, 2003;McLean et al, 2001). Moreover, reduction in musculoskeletal symptoms has been observed following an intervention invo use of software to implement regular breaks during computer work (van den Heuve et al, 2003) S (e.g.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Concordance between VDU-users’ ratings of comfort and perceived exertion with experts’ observations of workplace layout and working postures

Lindegård

Karlberg

Tornqvist³

et al. 2005

Applied Ergonomics

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All previously published papers have been reproduced with permission from the publisher.Published and printed by Intellecta DocuSys AB, Göteborg, Sweden, 2007 © Agneta Lindegård Andersson, 2007 ISBN 978-91-628-7098-0 Working technique during computer work Associations with biomechanical and psychological strain, neck and upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms Agneta Lindegård AnderssonThe Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, Institute of Medicine Department of Public Health and Community Medicine Occupational and Environmental Medicine AbstractAbout 35 % of the working population in Sweden report that computer use accounts for 50% or more of their total working hours. Among this population approximately 40% of the women and 25% of the men experienced symptoms in the neck and/or upper extremities at least once a week during the preceding 3 month. The overall aim of the studies underlying this thesis was to explore possible associations between working technique and perceived exertion, comfort, biomechanical and psychosocial strain as well as neck and upper extremity symptoms among computer users. Specific research questions addressed were a) Whether working technique was associated with muscle activity, wrist positions and forces applied to the computer mouse, respectively? b) Whether working technique was associated with psychological demands, emotional stress and perceived muscle tension, respectively? c) Whether there were associations between self-rated perceived comfort and observations of workplace layout and between self-rated perceived exertion and working postures. d) Whether working technique perceived exertion and comfort was associated with neck and upper extremity symptoms.The results showed that subjects classified as having a good working technique worked with less muscular load in the forearm (p=0.03) and in the trapezius muscle on the mouse operating side (p=0.02) compared to subjects classified as having a poor working technique. Subjects who reported high psychological demands and perceived muscular tension, respectively, used poorer working technique than subjects who did not perceive this conditions (demands, p=0.03, muscular tension, p=0.02). Moreover, the concordance between ratings of comfort and observations of workplace layout was reasonably good concerning the working chair and the keyboard and good regarding the computer screen and the input device. The concordance between ratings of perceived exertion and observations of working postures indicated good agreement for all measured body locations. This applies to the group that rated poor comfort and high exertion. Regarding the group that rated good comfort and low exertion ratings must be supplemented with observations. Furthermore, the results revealed that high perceived exertion and low comfort were related to an increased incidence of neck, and upper extremity symptoms, while poor working technique was not associated with such a risk. It is concluded that working technique is associated with both biomechanical and p...

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Computer terminal work and the benefit of microbreaks

Cited by 249 publications

References 23 publications

Visual Display Terminal Use Increases the Prevalence and Risk of Work‐related Musculoskeletal Disorders among Chinese Office Workers: A Cross‐sectional Study

Visual Display Terminal Use Increases the Prevalence and Risk of Work‐related Musculoskeletal Disorders among Chinese Office Workers: A Cross‐sectional Study

The Effects of Exercise and Rest Breaks on Musculoskeletal Discomfort during Computer Tasks: An Evidence-Based Perspective

Concordance between VDU-users’ ratings of comfort and perceived exertion with experts’ observations of workplace layout and working postures

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