Work-related musculoskeletal pain in physical and office workers

<ns3:p>Background: Musculoskeletal overload is a common occurrence among the population and is a growing public health problem. In Poland, diseases of the musculoskeletal system rank third in the general classification of causes of total inability to work.Aim of the study: The aim of this study is to analyse musculoskeletal pain among physical and office workers.Material and methods: Seventy-four people were examined, including 37 physical workers and 35 office workers. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) was used to assess pain complaints. The Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire was used to assess disability due to lower back pain. The Jackson-Moskowitz Scale was used to assess the frequency of lower back pain. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used to assess the intensity of lumbar spine pain. Respondents also answered questions on age, gender, marital status, number of chronic diseases.Results: In the group of physical workers, 100% of respondents and in the group of office workers 91.5% of respondents experienced pain in at least one location. The most common location of pain in both groups was the lower back - in 80% among office workers and 75.5% among physical workers. Physical workers were significantly more likely to feel pain in their ankles/foot and elbow compared to office workers. Office workers were significantly more likely to experience neck and thoracic spine pain than physical workers. A significantly higher proportion of physical workers had low and moderate disability associated with low back pain.Conclusions: Musculoskeletal disorders are common among both physical and office workers. The most common location of pain is the lower back. Physical work causes a slight limitation in performing daily activities due to lower back pain and also promotes pain in the elbows, ankles and feet. Mental work promotes pain in the entire spine.</ns3:p>