Effect of scheduled stretching exercises in reducing musculoskeletal disorder symptoms among software professionals

BackgroundThe effectiveness of stretching exercises in reducing musculoskeletal disorders among software professionals needs to be investigated.ObjectiveThis study aimed to identify the body regions most affected by Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and to analyze the effect of stretching exercises on the most affected body regions according to gender among software professionals.MethodsA modified Nordic questionnaire was employed to gather data from 196 software professionals on MSDs to ascertain the most affected body regions. After identifying the most affected body regions, an intervention group performed stretching exercises, and their effect on MSDs was analyzed using the McNemar test and the paired t-test.ResultsThe neck, lower back, shoulders, and wrists/hands were found to be the most affected MSD body regions. In males, the stretching exercises reduced the MSDs in the neck, shoulder, wrists/hands, and lower back by 83.33%, 60.00%, 50.00%, and 57.14% respectively. In females, the stretching exercises reduced the MSDs in neck, shoulder, wrists/hands, and lower back by 50.00%, 75.00%, 100.00%, and 40.00% respectively. The McNemar test revealed that stretching exercises have statistically significant improvements in most affected MSD body regions, with significant reductions observed in the neck, shoulders, wrists/hands, and lower back following the intervention in both males and females.ConclusionsThe stretching exercise performed at regular intervals significantly reduced MSDs among software professionals. The findings underscore the need for regular stretching exercises to mitigate the risks associated with prolonged computer usage.