Background: Lower back, neck and shoulder pain, which affects the lumbar spine, are the most commonly reported Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs). Approximately 80 percent of the general population is affected by these disorders at a certain point during their lifetime, with some estimates being as high as 84 percent. The most commonly used approach for the treatment of MSDs is exercise therapy. Stretching provides several benefits for people at work, and may help improve morale and team cohesiveness. Another benefit of stretching is that participants may increase their range of motion compared to their counterparts who do not participate in stretching programs. Objective: The aim of this study is to synthesize the recent literature on workplace stretching exercise programs and their effects on reducing work-related MSDs in different occupational groups. Method: Specific keywords were identified and used in a systematic search to guide the discovery of relevant studies and data. Electronic databases including PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar, were searched for the following combination of keywords: workplace, stretching, exercises, injury, work, prevention, safety, occupation, and ergonomics. Studies that do not focus on the benefits of stretching exercise were excluded simply because the present study examines prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders through stretching exercises. Results: Whilst majority of the literature examined in this study may not completely explain that stretching at the office will prevent work-related musculoskeletal accidental injuries, some studies have shown that performing stretching exercises can lead to reducing discomfort/pain and raising range of motion (ROM). Particularly. As pointed out by Moore [44], workplace stretching exercise programs might also increase an employee’s belief of personal physique attractiveness and overall self-worth. Conclusion: Majority of the literature reviewed in this study might not fully explain that stretching at work prevents work-related musculoskeletal injuries. Some studies have shown that performing stretching exercises can contribute to reducing discomfort/pain and increasing range of motion (ROM). Particularly, construction workers who participated in stretching exercise programs reported significant positive effects including reduction in pains/disability, increase in muscle flexibility and endurance. These exercises are recommended to be performed during breaks throughout, depending on the type of occupation. All the exercises suggested could be performed at the workstation, and only require a few seconds to perform.

The study aimed to investigate differences in anthropometry, body composition (BC), and somatotype in young football players of the same chronological age according to the maturity stage. Overall, 64 elite players (age: 14.28 ± 0.46 years) were evaluated for standing and sitting body height, girth measures, and BC using the bioelectric impedance scale and skinfold thickness. In total, two-thirds (73.44%, n = 47) of football players were classified as on-time maturers, 12.50% (n = 8) were early maturing, and 14.06% (n = 9) were late maturing. Standing and sitting height, leg length, fat-free mass, and muscle mass were significantly different (p < 0.001) across maturity groups. A significant decrease (p < 0.05) with maturity progression was seen for subscapular and suprailiac skinfolds along with a girth increase at all sites (p < 0.05). Early maturers were balanced ectomorphs, while on-time and late maturers featured mesomorph–ectomorph characteristics. The obtained results suggested that mature players have better BC presented as a lower fat percentage along with higher muscle mass, advantages in circumferences, and longitudinal dimensions of the body with highlighted mesomorph features. Maturity can have a substantial influence on body measures, thereby affecting sport-specific performance. Early maturers can use their anthropometric advantages and compensate for a lack of talent, consequently preventing even participation of physically undeveloped players in training. A better understanding of maturity, BC, and somatotypes can help in the selection of young talented players.

The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Myofascial Release Technique (MRT) along with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) on pain, craniovertebral angle (CVA), and neck disability in university students with chronic neck pain and forward head posture. A total of sixty-six eligible participants with chronic neck pain and forward head posture were randomized into the Myofascial Release Therapy (MRT) group (n = 33) and MRT and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) group (n = 33). Clinical outcomes included neck pain measured using the numerical pain rating scale, neck disability measured through the neck disability index, and forward head posture measured through the cranial vertebral angle. The outcomes were assessed at baseline and the four and eight weeks after the intervention. Both groups showed significant improvement in pain intensity, CVA, and neck disability after the intervention. However, the CBT group demonstrated greater improvements than the MRT group. The difference in outcomes between the groups was statistically significant. Myofascial Release Therapy combined with CBT is an effective treatment method for patients with chronic neck pain and forward head posture.

The purpose of this study was to examine injuries attributed to muscle imbalance in sports with overhead move- ments. Available sources in the period between 2010 and 2020 that provide an overview of the occurrence of muscle imbalance and the risk of injuries in overhead sports were evaluated. A comprehensive search of relevant sources was conducted using Google Scholar, PubMed databases, and other databases, including Science Direct, Research Gate, Web of Science, and Psyc Info. Eleven articles met the criteria to be included in the systematic re- view. Muscle imbalance significantly impacted overhead athletes and was responsible for injuries of the shoulder, lower back, elbow, and wrist. Based on the findings of the review, further study on muscle imbalance should be carried out. More importantly, future research should investigate the muscle imbalance in the non-dominant side and identify relevant exercises that can reduce the imbalance and increase the stability and strength of the muscles on the non-dominant side. Researchers have identified muscle imbalance as a cause of the injuries, but detailed information on the prevalence of muscle imbalance and its impact on athletes remains lacking.

Objective: This study aims to compile the latest information concerning workplace stretching regimens and to give a panoramic view of their effectiveness in reducing work-related Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Methods: Searching MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PEDro, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, SPORTDiscus and PubMed databases from 2010 to 2022 found 723 eligible studies, based on predefined inclusion criteria. Results: In the review, 14 included studies recruited subjects aged 18 years, with males (n=813), females (n=5141), and some research did not identify gender (n=3). The included studies were of both high (n=6) and low quality (n=8). Seven studies revealed stretching exercises to be an effective and safe non-pharmacological intervention for MSDs, and one study included an active control group observed better improvement in the treatment group. Four trials showed a significant effect from stretching exercises as a stand-alone treatment. Three studies revealed that stretching exercises had a meaningful and major effect on MSDs complaints, while two studies reported no significant results when utilizing Anti-fatigue mats in addition to stretching. Conclusion: The current study indicated that stretching exercises are a crucial and useful technique for preventing and treating pain and function in Work-related MSDs affecting the neck, shoulder, back, etc. Workplace/ergonomic changes can enhance the results of stretching exercises.

Background: The latest osteopathic manual therapy method widely used is the Spencer Muscle Energy Technique (SMET) adopted in western clinical practices to treat various shoulder ailments. Objective: The study compares conventional treatment procedures’ effects and the SEMT for a frozen shoulder. Methodology: A randomized, single-blind observational experiment was carried out from February to May 2019. The study included idiopathic frozen shoulder patients of either sex aged 30 to 70 years, phases 1 and 2, or a stiff joint of an agonizing shoulder for a minimum of 3 months. Among the 60 patients examined, 40 were involved: 20 (50 %) in both groups. The mean age in the control and experimental groups was 49.75±8.52 and 49.10±9.01, respectively, the dissimilarities of the groups in terms of disability and pain were not substantial (P 0.05) at standard, but there was a considerable variance in the assessments of halfway and post-intercession (p 0.05), and similarly was the issue of shoulder Range of Motion (ROM). They comprised 30 (65 %) females and 10 (35 %) males randomly divided into two groups. The first group received SMET, and the second group received the conventional treatment procedure. Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) was utilized to evaluate Shoulder pain, comprising 11 objects of no pain with a value of 0 and objects of most pain with a value of 10. Standard physical goniometer used to record Shoulder ROM as a consistent device for the analysis of degrees’ movement. Results: NPRS score values were t = 26.1, p-value of 0.000. The Wilcoxon Sign Rank test was adopted in the control group to discover the significance of the pain intensity treatment. The NPRS score values were W = -4.06, p-value of 0.000. A double-sample t-test was adopted to discover the treatment significance with the experimental and control group. The values for the Disability Index (SPADI) score in the experimental group were t=17.31p-value of 0.000. The values for the SPADI score in the control group were t=18.55 p-value 0.000. Conclusions: SMET was more effective in shoulder pain reduction, in which conventional treatment showed more effectiveness in enhancing the shoulder ROM. It can be concluded that SMET can be used or incorporated as an alternative treatment method or combined with other treatment procedures for pain reduction.