PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF PAIN SYNDROMES IN OFFICE WORKERS BY MYORELAXATION AND STRETCHING

Sitting at a desk or computer can lead to muscle tension, stiffness, and strain in the neck, shoulders, arms, wrists, back, and legs which can lead to a musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). Purpose of the study was to investigate the effect myorelaxation and stretching on pain and functional abilities of office-workers with MSD. A total of 64 patients (mean age 42, SD 8.5) were included in the analysis. Patients were randomly assigned to either myorelaxation group (MG) or to stretching group (SG) for a period of 6 months. All subjects received the same prevention programme of 15 myorelaxation or stretching exercises. Results: The MG had a significantly greater improvement than the SG in function and pain measured with the PSFS (P<.0001) (between group mean differences 15.2, 95% CI 9.2-21.3). Significantly lower pain intensity (assessed with VAS) was reported by the MG at the six month assessment compared with the SG in activity (P<.001), at rest (P< .01) and at night (P<.01). Follow up data showed that 85% of subjects from MG maintained the improved level of function and 81% of the subjects remained pain free for at least 1 year post treatment. The findings of this study provide strong evidence for a prevention effect of myorelaxation and stretching on musculoskeletal disorders. Keywords: Physiotherapy, musculoskeletal disorders, myorelaxation, stretching.  28-33