We found inconsistent evidence that the use of an arm support or an alternative mouse may or may not reduce the incidence of neck or shoulder MSDs .
For other physical ergonomic interventions there is no evidence of an effect .
For organisational interventions , in the form of supplementary breaks , there is very low- quality evidence of an effect on upper limb discomfort .
For training and multifaceted interventions there is no evidence of an effect on upper limb pain or discomfort .
BACKGROUND Work-related upper limb and neck musculoskeletal disorders ( MSDs ) are one of the most common occupational disorders worldwide .
Studies have shown that the percentage of office workers that suffer from MSDs ranges from 20 to 60 per cent .
The direct and indirect costs of work-related upper limb MSDs have been reported to be high in Europe , Australia , and the United States .
Although ergonomic interventions are likely to reduce the risk of office workers developing work-related upper limb and neck MSDs , the evidence is unclear .
This is an up date of a Cochrane Review which was last published in 2012 .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of physical , cognitive and organisational ergonomic interventions , or combinations of those interventions for the prevention of work-related upper limb and neck MSDs among office workers .
Predictors of Persistent Elbow Tendonitis Among Auto Assembly Workers
Introduction : Lateral and medial epicondylitis associated with work activity is a common upper extremity musculoskeletal disorder with a prevalence of 4–30 % depending upon the work setting and diagnostic criteria . The influence of treatment , ergonomic factors , medical history , psychosocial variables , and aging on the improvement of symptoms has not been well defined . Methods : This was a prospect i ve cohort study of a cohort of 45 workers with active elbow tendonitis for an average of 13 months .  Complete resolution of symptoms was the defined outcome measure . Results : The predictive factors for persistent elbow tendonitis included older age ( OR = 1.1 , 95 % CI : 0.99 , 1.33 ) , higher h and repetition level for their job(s ) ( OR = 2.5 , 95 % CI : 1.00 , 6.25 ) , more deviation from a neutral wrist position during the work activity ( OR = 2.0 , 95 % CI : 0.80 , 5.56 ) , and lower perceived decision authority on the job ( OR = 0.9 , 95 % CI : 0.79 , 0.98 ) . Other ergonomic , psychosocial , and electrophysiologic measures were not predictive . The models had relatively high sensitivity and specificity . Treatment effects could not be evaluated due to incomplete data available . Conclusions : Older workers with jobs requiring more repetition and awkward wrist postures , and less decision authority were less likely to have resolution of their elbow tendonitis . Implication s : Workers at highest risk for persistent elbow tendonitis should be placed at jobs with lower repetition levels and that use more neutral wrist postures . Effective interventions must address both the ergonomic and psychosocial risk factors in a multifaceted approach to this problem
We found inconsistent evidence that the use of an arm support or an alternative mouse may or may not reduce the incidence of neck or shoulder MSDs .
For other physical ergonomic interventions there is no evidence of an effect .
For organisational interventions , in the form of supplementary breaks , there is very low- quality evidence of an effect on upper limb discomfort .
For training and multifaceted interventions there is no evidence of an effect on upper limb pain or discomfort .
BACKGROUND Work-related upper limb and neck musculoskeletal disorders ( MSDs ) are one of the most common occupational disorders worldwide .
Studies have shown that the percentage of office workers that suffer from MSDs ranges from 20 to 60 per cent .
The direct and indirect costs of work-related upper limb MSDs have been reported to be high in Europe , Australia , and the United States .
Although ergonomic interventions are likely to reduce the risk of office workers developing work-related upper limb and neck MSDs , the evidence is unclear .
This is an up date of a Cochrane Review which was last published in 2012 .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of physical , cognitive and organisational ergonomic interventions , or combinations of those interventions for the prevention of work-related upper limb and neck MSDs among office workers .