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Upper Trapezius Muscle Activity Pattern at Work and Associated Neck Pain : Study Protocol for Analyses of a Pooled EMG Data Set

Koch, Markus ; Forsman, Mikael ; Enquist, Henrik LU orcid ; Olsen, Henrik Baare LU orcid ; Søgaard, Karen ; Sjøgaard, Gisela ; Østensvik, Tove ; Nilsen, Petter ; Andersen, Lars Louis and Jacobsen, Markus Due , et al. (2023) In Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics International 116. p.85-97
Abstract

Background: Repetitive and monotonous work is often associated with neck pain, potentially resulting in sick leave and reduced productivity. Establishing appropriate muscle activity patterns, including duration and frequency of breaks that can prevent neck pain development, is important for providing workplace guidance. While several smaller studies addressing monotonous neck-loading work have indicated that such breaks can reduce the risk of neck pain, studies with a higher number of participants are necessary to confirm an association, and if so, to improve the precision of a possible association. The purpose of this protocol was to describe and discuss the background, methods, and challenges of a study pooling several datasets with... (More)

Background: Repetitive and monotonous work is often associated with neck pain, potentially resulting in sick leave and reduced productivity. Establishing appropriate muscle activity patterns, including duration and frequency of breaks that can prevent neck pain development, is important for providing workplace guidance. While several smaller studies addressing monotonous neck-loading work have indicated that such breaks can reduce the risk of neck pain, studies with a higher number of participants are necessary to confirm an association, and if so, to improve the precision of a possible association. The purpose of this protocol was to describe and discuss the background, methods, and challenges of a study pooling several datasets with measurements of upper trapezius muscle activity during work and associated measurements of neck pain. Methods: Seven Scandinavian research institutes provided surface electromyographic (EMG) data from 750 participants of upper trapezius muscle activity recorded during working hours along with questionnaire data containing information about neck pain and other health-related factors. The different EMG datasets were merged into a com-mon format. Various questions on neck pain will be harmonized. Associations between EMG variables and neck pain will be examined using linear mixed model regressions controlled for various confounders. Discussion: Aiming to provide further insight into the possible association between trapezius muscle activity pattern and neck pain, this study protocol highlights the challenges that arise when creating a pooled data set. Solving these challenges may help increase the knowledge about appropriate muscle activity patterns during work.

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organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Electromyography, Musculoskeletal disorders, Work exposure
host publication
Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics International
series title
Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics International
volume
116
pages
13 pages
publisher
AHFE International
external identifiers
  • scopus:105031618835
ISSN
2771-0718
DOI
10.54941/ahfe1004360
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2023. Published by AHFE Open Access. All rights reserved.
id
e97a89b0-cde6-43d4-bd6a-41e2ebe7fc23
date added to LUP
2026-04-01 16:29:26
date last changed
2026-04-01 16:29:52
@inbook{e97a89b0-cde6-43d4-bd6a-41e2ebe7fc23,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background: Repetitive and monotonous work is often associated with neck pain, potentially resulting in sick leave and reduced productivity. Establishing appropriate muscle activity patterns, including duration and frequency of breaks that can prevent neck pain development, is important for providing workplace guidance. While several smaller studies addressing monotonous neck-loading work have indicated that such breaks can reduce the risk of neck pain, studies with a higher number of participants are necessary to confirm an association, and if so, to improve the precision of a possible association. The purpose of this protocol was to describe and discuss the background, methods, and challenges of a study pooling several datasets with measurements of upper trapezius muscle activity during work and associated measurements of neck pain. Methods: Seven Scandinavian research institutes provided surface electromyographic (EMG) data from 750 participants of upper trapezius muscle activity recorded during working hours along with questionnaire data containing information about neck pain and other health-related factors. The different EMG datasets were merged into a com-mon format. Various questions on neck pain will be harmonized. Associations between EMG variables and neck pain will be examined using linear mixed model regressions controlled for various confounders. Discussion: Aiming to provide further insight into the possible association between trapezius muscle activity pattern and neck pain, this study protocol highlights the challenges that arise when creating a pooled data set. Solving these challenges may help increase the knowledge about appropriate muscle activity patterns during work.</p>}},
  author       = {{Koch, Markus and Forsman, Mikael and Enquist, Henrik and Olsen, Henrik Baare and Søgaard, Karen and Sjøgaard, Gisela and Østensvik, Tove and Nilsen, Petter and Andersen, Lars Louis and Jacobsen, Markus Due and Westgaard, Rolf and Mork, Paul Jarle and Fan, Xuelong and Wærsted, Morten and Veiersted, Kaj Bo}},
  booktitle    = {{Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics International}},
  issn         = {{2771-0718}},
  keywords     = {{Electromyography; Musculoskeletal disorders; Work exposure}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{85--97}},
  publisher    = {{AHFE International}},
  series       = {{Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics International}},
  title        = {{Upper Trapezius Muscle Activity Pattern at Work and Associated Neck Pain : Study Protocol for Analyses of a Pooled EMG Data Set}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.54941/ahfe1004360}},
  doi          = {{10.54941/ahfe1004360}},
  volume       = {{116}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}