Tyrimo problema: Ilgai trunkanti sėdima padėtis prie kompiuterio, kartu su netinkama darbo vietos ergonomika, yra vienos pagrindinių priežasčių, lemiančių kaulų raumenų sistemos skausmų atsiradimą (Janwantakul et al., 2009). Tačiau, ne visada įmanoma pritaikyti darbo vietą pagal ergonominius principus, tinkančius kiekvienam dirbančiajam, ir, kai nesilaikoma darbo vietos ergonominių principų, darbuotojai dažnai būna priversti prisitaikyti prie prastų darbo sąlygų (Ghosh et al., 2010). Dažniausiai yra rekomenduojama pakeisti darbo pobūdį ar darbo aplinką, arba ieškoti būdų, kaip geriau prisitaikyti, pakeičiant darbo padėtį pagal ergonomikos principus (Voerman et al., 2007). Hipotezė: manome, kad ilgai sėdint įsitempia viršutinės nugaros dalies raumenys ir sąlygoja nervų, įnervuojančių ranką, užspaudimą, dėl ko gali sumažėti plaštakos raumenų jėga, bet fiziškai aktyvių asmenų, nors ir dirbančių sėdimą darbą, plaštakos ir pirštų raumenų jėga turėtų būti didesnė, nei fiziškai neaktyvių asmenų. Tyrimo tikslas: nustatyti sėdimą darbą dirbančių kaklinės stuburo ir viršutinės nugaros dalies skausmų ir fizinio aktyvumo sąsajas su plaštakos ir pirštų jėga. Tyrimo uždaviniai: 1. Nustatyti kaklo ir viršutinės nugaros dalies skausmų paplitimą. 2. Įvertinti sėdimą darbą dirbančių žmonių fizinį aktyvumą. 3. Nustatyti tiriamųjų plaštakos ir pirštų jėgą. 4. Nustatyti koreliacinius ryšius tarp vertintų rodiklių. Tyrimo metodai: buvo apklausiami sėdimą darbą dirbantys asmenys, kurie sėdėdami... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The research issue: prolonged sitting position at work using a computer, along with poor workplace ergonomics is one of the main reasons causing development of musculoskeletal pains (Janwantakul et al., 2009). In case of non – compliance with the principles of workplace ergonomic requirements, employees are often forced to adapt to poor working conditions (Ghosh et al., 2010). In most cases, it is recommended to change the nature of the work or the work environment, or to look for ways to better adapt by changing the working position according to ergonomic principles (Voerman et al., 2007). Testing objective: establish the cervical spine and upper back, pain and physical activity correlation with the dominant hand fingers and hand strength for the sedentary job employees. Tasks of the testing: 1. To establish the neck and upper back pain prevalence. 2. To evaluate the physical activity of the persons engaged in sedentary job. 3. To identify the dominant hand palm and fingers strength. 4. To determine the correlation between the estimated parameters. Hypothesis: it is considered that the hand and finger strength is lower of physically inactive individuals or of the persons engaged in sedentary job as they more often have complaints about the neck and upper back pain, than the sedentary workers, but physically active individuals. The following methods applied: the sedentary job employees have been questioned, who spend sitting at least 4 hours a day and they were... [to full text]

Thesis (MScPhysio)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Aims: To assess the effect of a chair and computer screen height adjustment on the neck and upper back musculoskeletal symptoms in an office worker. Methods: An N=1 study was conducted using the ABC design. Ethics approval was obtained for the study and the participant provided informed written consent. The participant was assessed over three four week phases as she performed her habitual computer work. The outcome measures assessed during the three phases were the pain intensity and perceived sitting comfort. The three phases were named the baseline, intervention and wash-out phases. During the baseline phase, the outcome measures were obtained at the participant‟s habitual work station. The intervention phase involved a vertical adjustment of the chair and computer screen height. The wash-out phase allowed the participant to adjust the chair and computer screen height to their choice. A follow-up interview was conducted with the participant three months after completion of the study. The mean values and the ranges of the pain intensity and perceived comfort were obtained and compared. The data collected was captured on a Microsoft Excel 2010 spread sheet, where after the data was tabulated and presented graphically. Results: The mean pain intensity of the participant increased slightly during the intervention phase in comparison to the baseline phase, but remained stable during the wash-out phase. The mean perceived sitting comfort deteriorated initially during the intervention phase, but improved later during the intervention phase and showed greater improvement during the wash out phase. The perceived sitting comfort showed more improvement than the pain intensity during the washout phase. Both the pain intensity and perceived sitting comfort showed improvement at the three months follow up assessment, post completion of the study. Conclusion: The vertical height adjustment of the chair and the VDT did not improve the participant‟s pain intensity and perceived sitting comfort when compared to the participant‟s habitual workstation parameters. The findings do not favour the horizontal viewing angle. The findings of this study however support the use of „slightly below horizontal‟ viewing angle as being conducive to reduce the pain intensity and improve the sitting comfort of an office worker. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Doelstelling: Om die effek te bepaal van die hoogte aanpassing van die stoel en rekenaarskerm op die nek en bo-rug muskuloskeletale simptome van 'n kantoorwerker. Metodes: „n N=1 studie was uitgevoer deur gebruik te maak van die ABC ontwerp. Etiese goedkeuring was verkry vir die studie en die deelnemer het ingeligte skriftelike toestemming verleen. Die deelnemer was ge-evalueer oor drie vier week-lange fases terwyl sy haar gewone rekenaarwerk verrig het. Die uitkomsmetings ge-evalueer tydens die drie fases was pyn intensiteit en waargenome sitgemak. Die drie fases was genoem die basislyn, intervensie en uitwas fases. Gedurende die basislyn fase was die uitkomsmetings by die deelnemer se gewone werkstasie ingevorder. Die intervensie fase het 'n vertikale aanpassing van die stoel en rekenaarskerm behels. Die uitwas fase het die deelnemer toegelaat om haar stoel en rekenaarskerm se hoogte aan te pas volgens haar keuse. 'n Opvolg onderhoud was gevoer met die deelnemer drie maande na die voltooiing van die studie. Die resultate was vasgelê op 'n Microsoft Excel 2010 data bladsy, waarna die data getabuleer en grafies uitgebeeld is. Resultate: Die gemiddelde pyn intensiteit van die deelnermer het effens toegeneem tydens die intervensie fase in vergelyking met die basislyn fase, maar het stabiel gebly tydens die uitwas fase. Die gemiddelde waargenome sitgemak het aanvanklik verswak tydens die intervensie fase, maar het later verbeter tydens die intervensie fase en het aangehou verbeter tydens die uitwas fase. Die waargenome sitgemak het groter verbetering getoon as die pyn intensiteit tydens die uitwas fase. Beide pyn intensiteit en waargenome sitgemak het verbetering getoon by die drie maande opvolg evaluasie, na voltooiing van die studie. Gevolgtrekking. Die vertikale hoogte aanpassing van die stoel en rekenaarskerm het nie die deelnemer se pyn intensiteit en waargenome sitgemak in vergelyking met die deelnemer se gewone werkstasie parameters verbeter nie. Hierdie bevindinge is nie ten voordeel van die horisontale kykhoek nie. Nietemin, ondersteun die bevindinge van hierdie studie die gebruik van die "effens onder die horisontale" kykhoek as bevorderend om die pyn intensiteit te verminder en die sitgemak van 'n kantoorwerker te verbeter.