背景:颈部疼痛在现代社会中仍然是一个持续的挑战,并且在广泛的职业中经常遇到,特别是那些涉及重复和单调的任务。可以预期,斜方肌活动模式在起作用,以很少的休息和长时间的持续肌肉活动为特征,与颈部疼痛有关。然而,以往的横断面研究通常未能建立明确的关联.虽然一些纵向研究表明,长时间的肌肉活动增加可能是颈部疼痛的危险因素,这些发现通常依赖于有限的参与者数量或特定的专业群体.这项研究旨在通过汇集来自七个斯堪的纳维亚研究机构的数据来研究斜方肌活动与颈部疼痛之间的关系,这些研究机构涵盖了各种职业背景。
方法:上斜方肌的肌电图(EMG)数据,在工作时间收集,再加上与颈部疼痛有关的问卷回答,个体特征,以及总共731名受试者的潜在混杂变量。此外,我们获得了258名受试者的纵向数据.各种EMG数据集被合并为标准化格式,并努力协调有关颈部疼痛的询问。回归分析,调整性别和身高,进行探讨肌肉活动变量与颈部疼痛之间的关联。设计了暴露指数来量化工作时间内累积的颈部负荷,并区分各种职业类别。
结果:横截面数据显示了一个独特的模式,其特征是短期持续肌肉活动(SUMA)呈正相关,长期SUMA和颈部疼痛呈负相关。纵向数据表现出相反的趋势,尽管它没有横断面研究结果那么明显.当采用曝光指数时,累积肌肉负荷在职业群体中出现显著差异,与纵向颈部疼痛呈正相关。
结论:研究结果表明,长期来看,颈部疼痛患者的累积工作量和肌肉活动时间延长。在短期内,他们似乎通过频繁的短暂休息来补偿,导致较低的累积工作量。不管他们的职业,至关重要的是在整个工作日分配工作休息时间,以确保累积负荷保持可控。
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.
CONCLUSIONS: 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.