None of the ergonomic interventions was more beneficial for any outcome measures when compared with another treatment or with no treatment or with placebo .
Behavioural interventions had inconsistent effects on pain and disability , with some subgroups showing benefit and others showing no significant improvement when compared with no treatment , minor intervention controls or other behavioural interventions .In the eight studies that evaluated various other interventions , there was no evidence of a clear beneficial effect of any of the interventions provided .
We found very low- quality evidence indicating that pain , recovery , disability and sick leave are similar after exercises when compared with no treatment , with minor intervention controls or with exercises provided as additional treatment to people with work-related complaints of the arm , neck or shoulder .
Low- quality evidence also showed that ergonomic interventions did not decrease pain at short-term follow-up but did decrease pain at long-term follow-up .
There was no evidence of an effect on other outcomes .
For behavioural and other interventions , there was no evidence of a consistent effect on any of the outcomes .
BACKGROUND Work-related upper limb disorder ( WRULD ) , repetitive strain injury ( RSI ) , occupational overuse syndrome ( OOS ) and work-related complaints of the arm , neck or shoulder ( CANS ) are the most frequently used umbrella terms for disorders that develop as a result of repetitive movements , awkward postures and impact of external forces such as those associated with operating vibrating tools .
Work-related CANS , which is the term we use in this review , severely hampers the working population .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of conservative interventions for work-related complaints of the arm , neck or shoulder ( CANS ) in adults on pain , function and work-related outcomes .
Effects of intermittent stretching exercises at work on musculoskeletal pain associated with the use of a personal computer and the influence of media on outcomes.
OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of regular stretching exercises on  pain associated with working at a computer workstation , and to ascertain whether the type of media used for exercise instruction had an effect on outcomes . PARTICIPANTS Sixty-eight volunteers were divided into three equivalent groups . All of the subjects worked at computers for prolonged periods of time and reported that their pain had been a source of distress for at least three weeks prior to the intake evaluation . METHODS A pretest-posttest-control group design with cluster r and omization was used to evaluate the effect of a stretching program on pain . Thirty-six different stretches were performed by the subjects for 15 - 17 work days . Two intervention groups were directed to stretch once every six minutes . One group ( n=22 ) was reminded to stretch via a computer program , the second group ( n=23 ) by using a hard copy version of the stretches with pictures and written instructions , and a third group received no intervention . RESULTS ANOVA analysis found a significant reduction in pain of 72 % ( p < 0.001 ) for the computer-generated stretching program , and of 64 % ( p < 0.001 ) using the hardcopy version of the intervention . The control group had an increase in pain of 1 % . CONCLUSIONS Both software and hard copy stretching interventions contributed to a decrease in pain without making any changes to workstation ergonomics and there was no significant statistical difference in the outcomes of either intervention . The subjective evaluation of pain using both visual analog scales and a newly created " pain spot " assessment technique yielded similar results
None of the ergonomic interventions was more beneficial for any outcome measures when compared with another treatment or with no treatment or with placebo .
Behavioural interventions had inconsistent effects on pain and disability , with some subgroups showing benefit and others showing no significant improvement when compared with no treatment , minor intervention controls or other behavioural interventions .In the eight studies that evaluated various other interventions , there was no evidence of a clear beneficial effect of any of the interventions provided .
We found very low- quality evidence indicating that pain , recovery , disability and sick leave are similar after exercises when compared with no treatment , with minor intervention controls or with exercises provided as additional treatment to people with work-related complaints of the arm , neck or shoulder .
Low- quality evidence also showed that ergonomic interventions did not decrease pain at short-term follow-up but did decrease pain at long-term follow-up .
There was no evidence of an effect on other outcomes .
For behavioural and other interventions , there was no evidence of a consistent effect on any of the outcomes .
BACKGROUND Work-related upper limb disorder ( WRULD ) , repetitive strain injury ( RSI ) , occupational overuse syndrome ( OOS ) and work-related complaints of the arm , neck or shoulder ( CANS ) are the most frequently used umbrella terms for disorders that develop as a result of repetitive movements , awkward postures and impact of external forces such as those associated with operating vibrating tools .
Work-related CANS , which is the term we use in this review , severely hampers the working population .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of conservative interventions for work-related complaints of the arm , neck or shoulder ( CANS ) in adults on pain , function and work-related outcomes .