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[Musculoskeletal pain and its association with ergonomic risk factors in administrative workers]
Paola Vernaza-Pinzón1, Carlos H Sierra-Torres
1Departamento de Fisioterapia, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad del Cauca, Popayán, Colombia. pvernaza@unicauca.edu.co
Objective:
Establishing the frequency of musculoskeletal lesions in administrative workers and its possible association with ergonomic risk factors.
Methods:
A descriptive study of 145 workers from the Universidad del Cauca in Popayán was carried out between July 2002 and June 2003. Two instruments were used for collecting the information: a format for analysing working posture and a questionnaire for analysing musculoskeletal symptoms.
Results:
Fifty-seven percent of the administrative workers presented symptoms of pain. The most frequent lesions were found in the lower back (56.6%), upper back (53.1%) and the neck (49%). Workers who sat for most of their working day presented an OR of 3.0 for lower back lesions and workers who had to walk more during their daily activity presented an OR of 2.8.
Conclusions:
The results of this study reveal an association between exposure to biomechanical risk factors and the presence of musculoskeletal lesion, indicating that forced work postures signify greater risk. This type of lesion could therefore incapacitate workers carrying out their daily activities.
