The Influence of Using a Footstool during a Prolonged Standing Task on Low Back Pain in Office Workers.

Michelle D Smith,Venerina Johnston,Sally Zhang,Tennille Sewell,Chun Shing Johnson Kwan,Jason Wheeler

doi:10.3390/ijerph16081405

Michelle D Smith, Venerina Johnston + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16081405

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Abstract

While many office workers experience low back pain (LBP), little is known about the effect of prolonged standing on LBP symptoms. This repeated-measures within-subjects study aimed to determine whether office workers with LBP are able to work at a standing workstation for one hour without exacerbating symptoms and whether using a footstool affects LBP severity. Sixteen office workers with LBP performed computer work at a standing workstation for one hour under the following two conditions, one week apart: with a footstool and without a footstool. The intensity of LBP was recorded at 10 min intervals. Maximal severity of LBP pain and change in LBP severity throughout the standing task were not different between the footstool and no footstool conditions (p > 0.26). There was a trend for more participants to have an increase in their pain between the start and end of the task when not using a footstool compared to using a footstool (p = 0.10). Most office workers with LBP are able to use a standing workstation without significant exacerbation of symptoms, but a proportion will experience a clinical meaningful increase in symptoms. Using a footstool does not change the severity of LBP experienced when using a standing workstation in individuals with a history of LBP.

Highlights

Prolonged sitting has been associated with negative health outcomes which is a concern for computer-based workers who typically sit for over six hours per day [1]
The aim of this study was to determine: (i) whether office workers with low back pain (LBP) are able to work at a standing workstation for one hour without exacerbating symptoms; and (ii) whether using a footstool affects the severity of LBP experienced when using a standing workstation in office workers with LBP
This study aimed to determine whether office workers with LBP are able to work at a standing workstation for one hour without adversely effecting symptoms, and to determine whether using a footstool affects the severity of LBP experienced when office workers with LBP work at a standing workstation

Summary

Introduction

Prolonged sitting has been associated with negative health outcomes which is a concern for computer-based workers who typically sit for over six hours per day [1]. Standing workstations offer the opportunity for posture variation [2]; prolonged standing can have negative implications, the development of pain or musculoskeletal conditions affecting the legs and lumbar spine [3]. Recent laboratory studies have identified that standing for 30–60 min resulted in the development of transient low back pain (LBP) in 40% of people without a history of LBP [4]. Another study has reported that those who develop transient LBP with prolonged standing are three times more likely to need medical care for LBP within three years [5]. Laboratory-based studies have shown that the development of LBP during standing can be significantly reduced by standing on a sloped surface [11,12] or performing

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