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The effect of over‐commitment and reward on trapezius muscle activity and shoulder, head, neck, and torso postures during computer use in the field
Author(s) -
Bruno Garza Jennifer L.,
Eijckelhof Belinda H.W.,
Huysmans Maaike A.,
Catalano Paul J.,
Katz Jeffrey N.,
Johnson Peter W.,
van Dieen Jaap H.,
van der Beek Allard J.,
Dennerlein Jack T.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.22192
Subject(s) - torso , medicine , trapezius muscle , psychosocial , physical therapy , affect (linguistics) , physical medicine and rehabilitation , head and neck , musculoskeletal disorder , office workers , electromyography , human factors and ergonomics , anatomy , poison control , surgery , psychiatry , psychology , medical emergency , communication , operations management , economics
Background Because of reported associations of psychosocial factors and computer related musculoskeletal symptoms, we investigated the effects of a workplace psychosocial factor, reward, in the presence of over‐commitment, on trapezius muscle activity and shoulder, head, neck, and torso postures during computer use. Methods We measured 120 office workers across four groups (lowest/highest reward/over‐commitment), performing their own computer work at their own workstations over a 2‐hr period. Results Median trapezius muscle activity ( P = 0.04) and median neck flexion ( P = 0.03) were largest for participants reporting simultaneously low reward and high over‐commitment. No differences were observed for other muscle activities or postures. Conclusions These data suggest that the interaction of reward and over‐commitment can affect upper extremity muscle activity and postures during computer use in the real work environment. This finding aligns with the hypothesized biomechanical pathway connecting workplace psychosocial factors and musculoskeletal symptoms of the neck and shoulder. Am. J. Ind. Med. 56:1190–1200, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.