Reduced pain and improved well-being following a virtual movement intervention for office workers

Background: In 2022, the on-site multi-component intervention of the "Neck Exercise for Productivity (NEXpro)" project successfully improved well-being and reduced neck pain among office workers. There is a need to adapt such interventions for virtual and remote work. The aim of the study was to develop and evaluate a virtual version of the NEXpro intervention – a brief virtual movement intervention designed to improve well-being and reduce musculoskeletal pain. Methods: This observational study ran from October to December 2022. We enrolled 22 employees from the University of Bern, Switzerland, without severe neck pain. Participants followed a 6-week movement program using a smartphone application, including 10 exercises to strengthen neck and back muscles. During the intervention, participants completed electronic diary forms documenting self-reported neck and back pain (NRS from 0 = no pain to 10 = maximum pain), muscle and joint flexibility (NRS from 0 = poor to 10 = excellent), and physical and mental well-being (each on a NRS from 0 = poor to 10 = excellent). Adherence was tracked by recording the number of training sessions. Multilevel regression analyses were performed for all outcomes, including neck pain, back pain, flexibility of muscles and joints, physical well-being, and mental well-being. Results: Data from 22 participants (mean age: 33.36 years, 90.90% female) yielded 392 diary reports. The most frequent pain areas were the neck (90.90%), shoulders (81.80%), upper back (72.70%), and lower back (68.20%). Participants averaged 1.45 training sessions per week. There was a strong correlation between back and neck pain intensity (r = 0.69, p < .001). Multilevel regression analyses showed significant improvements in neck pain (B = –0.02), back pain (B = –0.03), muscle flexibility (B = 0.02), physical well-being (B = 0.04), and mental well-being (B = 0.03, all p-values < .01). Participants with more severe back pain completed more training sessions (B = 0.11, p < .05). Conclusions: A smartphone application may effectively serve as a brief movement intervention to reduce musculoskeletal pain and improve well-being among office workers. The reduction in neck pain was comparable to the on-site NEXpro intervention, though adherence was about half that of the original study. These findings emphasise the need for further refinement of the virtual intervention to enhance adherence and maximise its benefits for alleviating musculoskeletal pain and improving well-being among office workers.