Does objectively measured prolonged standing for desk work result in lower ratings of perceived low back pain than sitting? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Prolonged sitting has been shown to induce transient low back pain (LBP). Height adjustable office desks now present the opportunity to replace sitting with standing in the workplace. Since standing has also been associated with LBP, this may not be an advisable alternative. OBJECTIVE: To determine if objectively measured prolonged exposures to desk work while standing, compared to sitting, results in lower perceived LBP in healthy adults. METHODS: A systematic search of several databases was conducted. Two independent reviewers screened titles/abstracts and conducted a quality assessment. The results of three studies were pooled using an inverse variance random-effects meta-analysis. Heterogeneity was tested using the Chi-squared test and I2 statistic. RESULTS: Objectively measured prolonged standing postures during desk work did not induce significantly less perceived LBP compared to seated postures (standardized mean difference 0.60, 95% CI –0.68 to 1.87, p = 0.36.) There was significant heterogeneity, I2 = 90%). CONCLUSIONS: It appears that replacing seated desk work postures with standing for prolonged periods of time would not be recommended. Larger studies, including a wider age range and health history, conducted in the field with objective measures is recommended to obtain more generalizable data on which to base ergonomic standards for work postures.

Lombalgia em estudantes e professores de medicina durante a pandemia: Estudo de coorte retrospectivo

“…11 Além disso, a prática de exercícios físicos mostrou-se protetora contra o aparecimento de lombalgia, corroborando o estudo de Sihawong et al 25 Ter um sono de boa qualidade, em nosso estudo, também foi um fator de proteção contra o aparecimento de lombalgia, indo de encontro a outro estudo que encontrou tendência de pior lombalgia em indivíduos com sono de má qualidade. 26 Por outro lado, embora sentar corretamente tenha sido um fator de proteção contra lombalgia, De Carvalho et al, 27 em sua metaanálise, não encontraram relação significativa entre as posições sentada e a presença de lombalgia em comparação com as posições em pé, concluindo que mais estudos são necessários para melhor elucidar essa questão. Vale ressaltar que sentar-se corretamente foi avaliado de acordo com a percepção de cada entrevistado e precisa ser visto com cautela.…”

Clinical biomechanics of the spine in three unsolved problems. A brief analytical review

“…Одна із «легендарних» проблем, пов'язаних із цим масивом даних, -негативний вплив тривалого сидіння на стан поперекового відділу хребта, оскільки при такому положенні тіла тиск у поперекових МХД начебто більший, ніж при прямостоянні [54,55,70]. Однак це переконання залишається гіпотетичним.…”

“…Цей висновок у цілому узгоджується з результатами недавнього метааналізу D. De Carvalho та співавт. (2020) [70]: заміщення роботи в положенні сидячи роботою в положенні стоячи не зменшує ризик маніфестації болю в попереку. Втім, ми не знайшли в праці D. De Carvalho та співавт.…”

How Can Quantitative Analysis Be Used to Improve Occupational Health without Reinforcing Social Inequalities? An Examination of Statistical Methods

“…Since the meaning of an exposure descriptor may vary from one demographic subgroup to another, it is particularly important to give precise definitions to exposure variables. As an example, "standing at work», a category of interest in a number of research efforts concerned with cardiovascular symptoms [91,92], or low back pain [93], are often ill-defined [94]. Definitions vary from "postures other than sitting" [95] to moving within a radius of less than one meter/less than 5 meters/over 5 meters [96].…”