Musculoskeletal disorders in office workers and teleworkers during the SARS pandemic Cov2

Introduction: The coronavirus pandemic brought great changes in daily working life in Greece. The majority of telecommuting workers faced consequences on health such as effects on their musculoskeletal system. Aim: This study aimed to interpret through the research questions the workers' musculoskeletal health and investigate the relationship between telecommuting and musculoskeletal disorders. Method: The cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 232 ministry employees through an in-house built questionnaire of demographic and work characteristics and the General Nordic for the musculoskeletal symptoms Questionnaire (NMQ). After the necessary approvals, the questionnaires were distributed and collected in November and December 2021 and were further statistically processed with SPSS19. Results: The study sample was mainly female (72.4%), with a mean age of 48.1±10.3 years. The overall average years of service were 23.5±8.7; the average weekly working hours were 41.6±4.7. 94.4% reported experiencing discomfort from at least one musculoskeletal problem in the last 12 months, while 59.1% had a problem at their day job due to discomfort in at least one part of the body. The most significant positive correlations were found for musculoskeletal disorders: in the last 12 months in relation to gender in the neck and scapular region, in discomfort during daily activities in the last 12 months in relation to gender and upper back and between weekly working hours and discomfort in shoulders, elbows and wrists. Conclusion: The violent increase in telecommuting seems to have caused an increase in musculoskeletal disorders in the neck, shoulder region and upper limbs.

Keywords: Musculoskeletal problems, teleworking from home, computer based office work, General Nordic for the Musculoskeletal Symptoms Questionnaire (NMQ)