ArticleInternational archives of occupational and environmental health2021
Can a metric combining arm elevation and trapezius muscle activity predict neck/shoulder pain? A prospective cohort study in construction and healthcare.
Article in International archives of occupational and environmental health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Could work-related muscle activity explain sex differences in neck pain? A meta-analysis of a pooled dataset.Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health · 2025Pooled it
- Occupational physical behaviors and knee pain among eldercare workers: A prospective accelerometer study.Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health · 2026Article
- Standardizing upper arm movement definitions across observational and sensor-based methods: A Delphi consensus study among European ergonomics experts.Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health · 2026Article
- Is asymmetric upper trapezius muscle activation during work associated with neck pain? A cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis.PloS one · 2026Article
- Identification of Pain through Actigraphy-Recorded Patient Movement: A Comprehensive Review.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Association between musculoskeletal pain and exposures to awkward postures during work: a compositional analysis approach.Annals of work exposures and health · 2024Article
- Influence of brick laying height on biomechanical load in masons: Cross-sectional field study with technical measurements.Work (Reading, Mass.) · 2024Article
- The association between reallocations of time and health using compositional data analysis: a systematic scoping review with an interactive data exploration interface.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2023Article
- Does occupational forward bending of the back increase long-term sickness absence risk? A 4-year prospective register-based study using device-measured compositional data analysis.Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health · 2022Article
- Surgeons' physical workload in open surgery versus robot-assisted surgery and nonsurgical tasks.Surgical endoscopy · 2022Article
- How does accelerometry-measured arm elevation at work influence prospective risk of long-term sickness absence?Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo determine whether a composite metric of arm elevation and trapezius activity (i.e. neck/shoulder load) is more strongly associated with the 2-year course of neck and shoulder pain intensity (NSPi) among construction and healthcare workers than each exposure separately.
methodsDominant arm elevation and upper trapezius muscle activity were estimated in construction and healthcare employees (n = 118) at baseline, using accelerometry and normalized surface electromyography (%MVE), respectively. At baseline and every 6 months for 2 years, workers reported NSPi (score 0-3). Compositions of working time were determined for arm elevation (< 30°; 30-60°; > 60°), trapezius activity (< 0.5%; 0.5-7.0%; > 7.0%MVE), and a composite metric "neck/shoulder load" (restitution, low, medium, and high load). Associations between each of these three compositions and the 2-year course of NSPi were determined using linear mixed models.
resultsAssociations between exposure compositions and the course of NSPi were all weak and in general uncertain. Time spent in 0.5-7.0%MVE showed the largest and most certain association with changes in NSPi during follow-up (β = - 0.13; p = 0.037; corresponding to a -0.01 change in NPSi every 6 months). Among pain-free workers at baseline, medium (β = - 0.23; p = 0.039) and high (β = 0.15; p = 0.031) neck/shoulder load contributed the most to explaining changes in NSPi.
conclusionThe composite metric of neck/shoulder load did not show a stronger association with the course of NSPi than arm elevation or trapezius activity alone in the entire population, while some indications of a stronger association were found among those who were pain-free at baseline.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.