Comparison of pain, depression, quality of life, grip strength, and balance according to physical activity levels in office workers

BackgroundMusculoskeletal problems are commonly observed among office workers.ObjectiveThis study aims to examine whether levels of physical activity are associated with differences in pain, depressive symptoms, quality of life, grip strength, and balance in office workers.Methods61 office workers (29 men and 32 women) who regularly used computers were included in the study. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Health-Related Quality of Life-4 for measuring the Quality of Life, the Visual Analog Scale for measuring pain, the Beck Depression Inventory for measuring mental health, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form for measuring physical activity, the Biodex Balance System for measuring balance, and two distinct methods for measuring grip strength-the Jamar and Handgrip dynamometers-were all used in the assessments.ResultsA significant difference in pain during activity was found among the physical activity levels (inactive, minimally active, highly active) (p < 0.05). There was no difference in depression scores between the groups (p > 0.05). General quality of life scores were higher in the highly active group compared to both the inactive (p = 0.016) and minimally active (p = 0.020) groups. Right and left hand grip strength assessed with Jamar (p = 0.004, p = 0.044; respectively) and right hand grip strength assessed with handgrip (p = 0.04) were statistically significantly higher in the highly active group than in the inactive group. For balance with eyes open, anterior-posterior stabilization scores were significantly better in the highly active group compared to the inactive group (p = 0.004).ConclusionsPhysically active office workers exhibited superior outcomes in activity pain, quality of life, grip strength and balance compared to their less active counterparts.