Can a metric combining arm elevation and trapezius muscle activity predict neck/shoulder pain? A prospective cohort study in construction and healthcare.

Content Provider	Europe PMC
Author	Merkus, Suzanne Lerato Mathiassen, Svend Erik Lunde, Lars-Kristian Koch, Markus Wærsted, Morten Forsman, Mikael Knardahl, Stein Veiersted, Kaj Bo
Abstract	ObjectiveTo determine whether a composite metric of arm elevation and trapezius activity (i.e. neck/shoulder load) is more strongly associated with the 2-year course of neck and shoulder pain intensity (NSPi) among construction and healthcare workers than each exposure separately.MethodsDominant arm elevation and upper trapezius muscle activity were estimated in construction and healthcare employees (n = 118) at baseline, using accelerometry and normalized surface electromyography (%MVE), respectively. At baseline and every 6 months for 2 years, workers reported NSPi (score 0–3). Compositions of working time were determined for arm elevation (< 30°; 30–60°;  > 60°), trapezius activity (< 0.5%; 0.5–7.0%; > 7.0%MVE), and a composite metric “neck/shoulder load” (restitution, low, medium, and high load). Associations between each of these three compositions and the 2-year course of NSPi were determined using linear mixed models.ResultsAssociations between exposure compositions and the course of NSPi were all weak and in general uncertain. Time spent in 0.5–7.0%MVE showed the largest and most certain association with changes in NSPi during follow-up (β = − 0.13; p = 0.037; corresponding to a −0.01 change in NPSi every 6 months). Among pain-free workers at baseline, medium (β = − 0.23; p = 0.039) and high (β = 0.15; p = 0.031) neck/shoulder load contributed the most to explaining changes in NSPi.ConclusionThe composite metric of neck/shoulder load did not show a stronger association with the course of NSPi than arm elevation or trapezius activity alone in the entire population, while some indications of a stronger association were found among those who were pain-free at baseline.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s00420-020-01610-w) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Related Links	https://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC8068682&blobtype=pdf
ISSN	03400131
Journal	International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health [Int Arch Occup Environ Health]
Volume Number	94
DOI	10.1007/s00420-020-01610-w
PubMed Central reference number	PMC8068682
Issue Number	4
PubMed reference number	33278002
e-ISSN	14321246
Language	English
Publisher	Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Publisher Date	2020-12-05
Publisher Place	Berlin/Heidelberg
Access Restriction	Open
Rights License	Open AccessThis article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. © The Author(s) 2020
Subject Keyword	Electromyography Actigraphy Neck/shoulder load Physically demanding work Musculoskeletal pain Compositional data analysis
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health