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Frequency of breaks, amount of muscular rest, and sustained muscle activity related to neck pain in a pooled dataset

Koch, Markus ; Forsman, Mikael ; Enquist, Henrik LU orcid ; Baare Olsen, Henrik ; Søgaard, Karen ; Sjøgaard, Gisela ; Østensvik, Tove ; Nilsen, Petter ; Andersen, Lars Louis and Due Jacobsen, Markus , et al. (2024) In PLoS ONE 19(6). p.1-22
Abstract

BACKGROUND: Neck pain remains a persistent challenge in modern society and is frequently encountered across a wide range of occupations, particularly those involving repetitive and monotonous tasks. It might be expected that patterns of trapezius muscle activity at work, characterized by few breaks and prolonged periods of sustained muscle activity, are linked to neck pain. However, previous cross-sectional studies have generally failed to establish a definitive association. While some longitudinal studies have suggested that extended periods of heightened muscle activity could be a risk factor for neck pain, these findings often relied on limited participant numbers or specific professional groups. This study aimed to investigate the... (More)

BACKGROUND: Neck pain remains a persistent challenge in modern society and is frequently encountered across a wide range of occupations, particularly those involving repetitive and monotonous tasks. It might be expected that patterns of trapezius muscle activity at work, characterized by few breaks and prolonged periods of sustained muscle activity, are linked to neck pain. However, previous cross-sectional studies have generally failed to establish a definitive association. While some longitudinal studies have suggested that extended periods of heightened muscle activity could be a risk factor for neck pain, these findings often relied on limited participant numbers or specific professional groups. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between trapezius muscle activity and neck pain by pooling data from seven Scandinavian research institutes encompassing a diverse range of occupational backgrounds.

METHODS: Electromyographic (EMG) data for the upper trapezius muscle, collected during working hours, were coupled with questionnaire responses pertaining to neck pain, individual characteristics, and potential confounding variables for a total of 731 subjects. Additionally, longitudinal data from 258 subjects were available. The various EMG datasets were consolidated into a standardized format, and efforts were made to harmonize inquiries about neck pain. Regression analyses, adjusting for sex and height, were conducted to explore the associations between muscle activity variables and neck pain. An exposure index was devised to quantify the cumulative neck load experienced during working hours and to differentiate between various occupational categories.

RESULTS: The cross-sectional data displayed a distinct pattern characterized by positive associations for brief periods of sustained muscle activity (SUMA) and negative associations for prolonged SUMA-periods and neck pain. The longitudinal data exhibited a contrasting trend, although it was not as pronounced as the cross-sectional findings. When employing the exposure index, notable differences in cumulative muscle load emerged among occupational groups, and positive associations with longitudinal neck pain were identified.

DISCUSSION: The results suggest that individuals with neck pain experience higher cumulative workloads and extended periods of muscle activity over the long term. In the short term, they appear to compensate by taking frequent short breaks, resulting in a lower cumulative workload. Regardless of their occupation, it is crucial to distribute work breaks throughout the workday to ensure that the cumulative load remains manageable.

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Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Humans, Neck Pain/physiopathology, Male, Female, Electromyography, Adult, Superficial Back Muscles/physiopathology, Cross-Sectional Studies, Middle Aged, Rest/physiology, Occupational Diseases/physiopathology, Surveys and Questionnaires, Longitudinal Studies
in
PLoS ONE
volume
19
issue
6
article number
e0297859
pages
1 - 22
publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
external identifiers
  • pmid:38917191
ISSN
1932-6203
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0297859
language
English
LU publication?
yes
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Copyright: © 2024 Koch et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
id
91c7c791-d214-4f4b-8f1c-5deb8d0c652a
date added to LUP
2024-07-03 09:04:03
date last changed
2024-07-03 10:09:47
@article{91c7c791-d214-4f4b-8f1c-5deb8d0c652a,
  abstract     = {{<p>BACKGROUND: Neck pain remains a persistent challenge in modern society and is frequently encountered across a wide range of occupations, particularly those involving repetitive and monotonous tasks. It might be expected that patterns of trapezius muscle activity at work, characterized by few breaks and prolonged periods of sustained muscle activity, are linked to neck pain. However, previous cross-sectional studies have generally failed to establish a definitive association. While some longitudinal studies have suggested that extended periods of heightened muscle activity could be a risk factor for neck pain, these findings often relied on limited participant numbers or specific professional groups. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between trapezius muscle activity and neck pain by pooling data from seven Scandinavian research institutes encompassing a diverse range of occupational backgrounds.</p><p>METHODS: Electromyographic (EMG) data for the upper trapezius muscle, collected during working hours, were coupled with questionnaire responses pertaining to neck pain, individual characteristics, and potential confounding variables for a total of 731 subjects. Additionally, longitudinal data from 258 subjects were available. The various EMG datasets were consolidated into a standardized format, and efforts were made to harmonize inquiries about neck pain. Regression analyses, adjusting for sex and height, were conducted to explore the associations between muscle activity variables and neck pain. An exposure index was devised to quantify the cumulative neck load experienced during working hours and to differentiate between various occupational categories.</p><p>RESULTS: The cross-sectional data displayed a distinct pattern characterized by positive associations for brief periods of sustained muscle activity (SUMA) and negative associations for prolonged SUMA-periods and neck pain. The longitudinal data exhibited a contrasting trend, although it was not as pronounced as the cross-sectional findings. When employing the exposure index, notable differences in cumulative muscle load emerged among occupational groups, and positive associations with longitudinal neck pain were identified.</p><p>DISCUSSION: The results suggest that individuals with neck pain experience higher cumulative workloads and extended periods of muscle activity over the long term. In the short term, they appear to compensate by taking frequent short breaks, resulting in a lower cumulative workload. Regardless of their occupation, it is crucial to distribute work breaks throughout the workday to ensure that the cumulative load remains manageable.</p>}},
  author       = {{Koch, Markus and Forsman, Mikael and Enquist, Henrik and Baare Olsen, Henrik and Søgaard, Karen and Sjøgaard, Gisela and Østensvik, Tove and Nilsen, Petter and Andersen, Lars Louis and Due Jacobsen, Markus and Brandt, Mikkel and Westgaard, Rolf and Mork, Paul Jarle and Fan, Xuelong and Wærsted, Morten and Veiersted, Kaj Bo}},
  issn         = {{1932-6203}},
  keywords     = {{Humans; Neck Pain/physiopathology; Male; Female; Electromyography; Adult; Superficial Back Muscles/physiopathology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Middle Aged; Rest/physiology; Occupational Diseases/physiopathology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Longitudinal Studies}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{1--22}},
  publisher    = {{Public Library of Science (PLoS)}},
  series       = {{PLoS ONE}},
  title        = {{Frequency of breaks, amount of muscular rest, and sustained muscle activity related to neck pain in a pooled dataset}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0297859}},
  doi          = {{10.1371/journal.pone.0297859}},
  volume       = {{19}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}