Self-reported musculoskeletal disorders among office workers in a private hospital in South Africa: prevalence and relation to physicla demands of the work

Abstract

Few studies have investigated musculoskeletal disorders among offi ce workers in South Africa. The aim of this quantitative cross-sectional descriptive survey was to determine the prevalence of selfreported musculoskeletal disorders among offi ce workers in a private hospital and to assess the association between the physical demands of their work and musculoskeletal disorders. Of the participants, 76.1% had at one point in time been absent from work due to backache or other musculoskeletal problems. The most commonly affected regions were the back followed by the neck, wrists and shoulders. Furthermore, the prevalence of MSDS was associated with the physical work demands of the work, particularly between repetitive motions of upper limbs, and wrist extension when using the keyboard and forceful movements. No signifi cant association between musculo skeletal disorders and gender, period of employment and age among the participants was observed.