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Updated: Jan 10, 2026
A Method for Quantifying Upper Limb Performance in Daily Life Using Accelerometers
Published on: April 21, 2017
Occupational physical behaviors and knee pain among eldercare workers: A prospective accelerometer study
Sebastian Venge Skovlund1, Christian Tolstrup Wester, Stavros Kyriakidis
1National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Lersø Parkallé 105, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark. [E-mail: svs@nfa.dk.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to explore the prospective association between compositions of accelerometry-measured occupational physical behaviors and the risk of knee pain among eldercare workers.
Methods:
We performed a prospective study among 377 eldercare workers employed across 20 Danish nursing homes. Occupational physical behaviors were measured using thigh-worn accelerometers over 1-4 working days. Workers reported intensity of and days with knee pain in a questionnaire at baseline and after one year. We explored associations between compositions of occupational physical behaviors [ie, sedentary, standing, light physical activity (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)] and knee pain, adjusting for potential confounders.
Results:
No significant associations were found. Trends were found for increased occupational time spent in MVPA and decreased risk of days with knee pain [relative risk (RR) 0.58, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.32-1.05, P=0.07] in main analyses, and for decreased risk of knee pain intensity among non-knee pain cases (RR 0.36, 95% CI 0.12-1.13, P=0.08) in sensitivity analyses.
Conclusions:
No significant associations were found between baseline occupational physical behaviors and knee pain at one-year follow-up. However, a non-significant trend suggested that increasing occupational MVPA might be associated with reduced risk of knee pain at follow-up, though studies with larger samples are needed to confirm this finding.
