Office workers remain in a awkward position for long periods, which can lead to musculoskeletal symptoms. Ergonomic guidelines are recommended to avoid such problems. Evidence of the long-term effectiveness of ergonomic interventions is scarce. The aim of this randomised controlled trial was to compare pain intensity among office workers who received an ergonomic intervention and a control group before as well as 12, 24, and 36 wk after the intervention. Workers were randomly allocated to a control group (CG) and experimental group (EG). The EG received an ergonomic workstation intervention. Furniture measurements were related to individual anthropometric measurements to identify mismatches. The outcome was pain intensity, which was determined using a numerical pain scale and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. A linear mixed model was created with pain intensity as the dependent variable. Group and time were the independent variables. No significant interactions were found between group and time. Significant differences between groups were found for the pain intensity in the neck, shoulder, upper back, and wrist/hand (P<0.05), with lower intensity in the EG. The intervention reduced pain intensity in the neck, shoulder, upper back, and wrist/hand. However, no reduction in pain intensity was found for the lower back or elbow.

The objective of this study was to test the inter-rater reproducibility of the Portuguese version of the PEDro Scale. Seven physiotherapists rated the methodological quality of 50 reports of randomized controlled trials written in Portuguese indexed on the PEDro database. Each report was also rated using the English version of the PEDro Scale. Reproducibility was evaluated by comparing two separate ratings of reports written in Portuguese and comparing the Portuguese PEDro score with the English version of the scale. Kappa coefficients ranged from 0.53 to 1.00 for individual item and an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.82 for the total PEDro score was observed. The standard error of the measurement of the scale was 0.58. The Portuguese version of the scale was comparable with the English version, with an ICC of 0.78. The inter-rater reproducibility of the Brazilian Portuguese PEDro Scale is adequate and similar to the original English version.

Key words: occupational health; epidemiology; exercise; physical therapy

Prolonged sitting is associated with increased risk for cardiovascular diseases and mortality. However, research into the physiological determinants underlying this relationship is still in its infancy. The aim of the study was to determine the extent to which occupational and leisure-time sitting are associated with nocturnal heart rate variability (HRV) in blue-collar workers. The study included 138 blue-collar workers (mean age 45.5 (SD 9.4) years). Sitting-time was measured objectively for four days using tri-axial accelerometers (Actigraph GT3X+) worn on the thigh and trunk. During the same period, a heart rate monitor (Actiheart) was used to sample R-R intervals from the electrocardiogram. Time and frequency domain indices of HRV were only derived during nighttime sleep, and used as markers of cardiac autonomic modulation. Regression analyses with multiple adjustments (age, gender, body mass index, smoking, job-seniority, physical work-load, influence at work, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity) were used to investigate the association between sitting time and nocturnal HRV. We found that occupational sitting-time was negatively associated (p < 0.05) with time and frequency domain HRV indices. Sitting-time explained up to 6% of the variance in HRV, independent of the covariates. Leisure-time sitting was not significantly associated with any HRV indices (p > 0.05). In conclusion, objectively measured occupational sitting-time was associated with reduced nocturnal HRV in blue-collar workers. This indicates an attenuated cardiac autonomic regulation with increasing sitting-time at work regardless of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The implications of this association for cardiovascular disease risk warrant further investigation via long-term prospective studies and intervention studies.

[Purpose] To assess the effects of forearm support and shoulder posture on upper trapezius and anterior deltoid activity. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-three female university students were evaluated. Muscle activity was assessed by a portable surface electromyography (sEMG) system (Myomonitor IV, Delsys, USA). Upper trapezius and anterior deltoid activity were recorded in five shoulder flexion postures: 0°, 15°, 30°, 45° and 60° and in two conditions: with the forearm supported and unsupported. Descriptive data analysis was performed and statistical analysis was conducted by a multivariate analysis of variance with three repeated factors (posture, support and side). [Results] Three-way interactions were not significant. Two-way interaction was significant for support and posture for both muscles, indicating that the muscular activity depends on the forearm support and shoulder posture. The forearm support reduced upper trapezius and anterior deltoid activity for all shoulder flexion angles. The mean and standard deviation for this decrease was 7.8 (SD=4.6)% of the maximal voluntary contraction for anterior deltoid and 3.8 (SD=2.0)% of the maximal voluntary contraction for upper trapezius. In the unsupported condition, increasing the shoulder flexion angle caused an increase in the upper trapezius and anterior deltoid activation. [Conclusion] These results highlight the importance of using forearm support and to maintain neutral shoulder posture, when the upper arms are not supported, to reduce muscle activation. Thus, this study provides evidence about the effect of these recommendations to reduce muscular activity.