Effects of a workplace gymnastics program on the perception of pain in administrative workers

Abstract Background Administrative professionals spend most of their time sitting in uncomfortable postures. These factors lead to the emergence of chronic pain, and workplace gymnastics (WG) can be presented as a strategy to minimize these problems. Therefore, the present study evaluated the effects of WG in reducing perceived pain in workers. Methods This longitudinal study involved 66 workers. A total of 54 WG sessions were held, with three sessions a week, for 18 weeks. Each WG session lasted 15 min and involved multimodal exercises. Initially, sociodemographic and anthropometric information was collected, physical activity levels were evaluated, and pain occurrence and intensity were assessed using the Corlett Diagram. After the intervention period, participants were reassessed for body composition and perceived pain. Results The employees had a mean age of 44.9 ± 9.9 years and a height of 1.63 ± 0.07 m. There was a predominance of females ( n = 48; 72.7%), with most workers having chronic non-communicable diseases and being physically inactive ( n = 43; 65.2%). Regarding body composition, no changes were identified. However, concerning pain occurrence, at the pre-WG moment, all 28 body regions assessed showed pain; and at the post-WG assessment, a reduction in pain was identified in 26 regions (92.8%). For pain intensity, a significant reduction in pain was observed in nine regions after WG. Conclusions Based on the data found, the present study concluded that WG is an important strategy, as it led to reductions in both the occurrence and intensity of perceived pain in workers.