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 .
Musculoskeletal, visual and psychosocial stress in VDU operators before and after multidisciplinary ergonomic interventions.
The study has a parallel group design with two intervention groups ( T and S ) and one control group ( C ) of VDU operators . Three serial interventions were carried out in the T and S groups , first a new lighting system , then new workplaces and last an optometric examination and corrections if needed . The new lighting gave significantly increased illuminance levels , increased luminances of the room surfaces and better luminance distribution . The two intervention groups reported significant improvement of the lighting conditions , as well as of the visual conditions and significantly reduced visual discomfort and glare . Significant reduction of headache was found in one of the intervention groups . Optometric corrections reduced the visual discomfort in both the intervention groups . When looking at those given new corrections , a significant reduction was found in the T group and a clear tendency was also found in the S group . The C group reported no improvements for any of these health outcomes . The workplace intervention gave the operator the possibility to support the whole forearm and h and on the table top . Before the intervention there were no significant differences between the three groups regarding shoulder pain and static trapezius electromyographic ( EMG ) load . Two years after the intervention , a significant reduction of shoulder pain was reported in the T and S groups in parallel with a significant reduction in static trapezius load , while no such reduction was found in the C group . At the same time , both static trapezius load and shoulder pain were significantly lower in the T and S groups compared with the C group . Pain in the forearm and h and showed no significant changes in any of the groups during the study period . However , there seem to be a relationship between pain in the forearm and h and and the time the operator used the mouse . The C group reported significantly higher intensity of pain and used the mouse significantly more than the S group
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 .