Implementation of Physical Exercise at the Workplace (IRMA06) - Slaughterhouse Workers

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The prevalence of pain in the shoulder, arm and hand is high among slaughterhouse workers, allegedly due to the substantial load of these body regions during work. Work disability is a common consequence of these pains. Lowering the physical exposure through ergonomic intervention may be a strategy to reduce the workload. An alternative strategy could be to increase the physical capacity through strength training of the shoulder-, arm- and hand-muscles. This study investigates the effect of two contrasting interventions, i.e. load reduction (ergonomic intervention) versus training of physical capacity (strength training) on pain and work disability in slaughterhouse workers. The main hypothesis is that strength training intervention for 10 weeks compared with ergonomic intervention results in reduced pain of the shoulder, arm and hand.

Official Title
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Implementation of Physical Exercise at the Workplace (IRMA06) - Slaughterhouse Workers

Conditions
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Musculoskeletal Disorders

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Strength training
* Behavioral: Ergonomic


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Slaughterhouse worker the pain should have lasted at least 3 months pain intensity during the last three months of >= 3 (scale 0-10) in the shoulder, elbow or hand the pain should be frequent (at least 3 days per week) Exclusion Criteria: life threatening disease pregnancy

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 67 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Strength training<br>Strength training of the shoulder, arm and hand muscles for 3 x 10 minutes a week. | Behavioral: Strength training<br> <br> |
| Active Comparator: Ergonomic<br>Receives counseling on workstation adjustment and optimal use of the work tools. | Behavioral: Ergonomic<br> <br> |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pain intensity | The change in pain intensity during the last week (average value of shoulder, elbow and hand) from baseline to 10 week follow-up between the strength training group and ergonomic group. The ergonomic group will be considered the reference group. 2-way analysis of variance (Proc Mixed of SAS) with repeated measures will be used, with time and group as fixed factors and subject as random factor. | change from baseline to week 10 | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| DASH | Disability of the arm, shoulder and hand questionnaire (DASH). Only the work-module of DASH will be included. Analyzed the same way as the primary outcome. | change from baseline to week 10 |