Ergonomic factors associated with neck pain among physiotherapists: A cross sectional

Abstract

Background: The routine job duties and physically demanding roles of physiotherapists result in neck pain becoming a common occupational health problem in their field. Ergonomics expertise fails to protect physiotherapists from developing work-related musculoskeletal disorders that mainly affect their upper neck area. Objective: The purpose of this research was to discover ergonomically-related neck pain sources among physiotherapists at the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) with a particular emphasis on their postures and their workplace and equipment usage. Methodology: The study relied on purposive sampling technique to select 102 licensed CRP physiotherapists who worked there for at least one year when conducting their cross- sectional analytical study. Research data was gathered from physiotherapists through structured questionnaires containing Neck Disability Index (NDI), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Modified Dutch Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (DMQ). The research team utilized SPSS version 25 for statistical analysis of their data through descriptive statistics and Chi-square assessments with Pearson correlation methods. Results: Study results demonstrated that all hospital employees suffered from non-traumatic neck pain with moderate pain levels rated 4.91 on the VAS scale. The main origin behind their neck pains was due to sustained improper posture according to 88.2% of respondents. Working posture together with ergonomic aids and daily working hours failed to show any statistically important connection to pain severity. The findings showed a robust positive relationship between workplace experience and worker age with a correlation value of r = 0.876 (p = 0.000). Conclusion: CRP physiotherapists experience a high incidence of neck pain due to improper postures while performing clinical duties. Ergonomics theory seems to be poorly translated into practice. A combination of ergonomic adjustments and educational interventions, backed by institutional support, is essential for reducing work- related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs) and improving workplace health. Keywords: Neck pain, Ergonomics, Physiotherapists, Work-related musculoskeletal disorders, Posture, CRP, Bangladesh