review · Heliyon
Rapid technological developments and the widespread adoption of electronic devices have significantly affected office staff and bank workers. Across twenty-five reviewed studies, the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among computer users ranged from 33.8 percent to 95.3 percent. The anatomical regions most frequently affected were the lower back, neck, upper back, and shoulders, whereas body parts such as the elbow, hip or thigh, knee, wrist or hand, and ankle or feet experienced lower rates of discomfort. Several individual and occupational risk factors were linked to these disorders, including older age, female sex, lower educational attainment, prolonged computer use, repetitive movements, awkward working postures, a lack of physical exercise, and absence of ergonomics training. Reducing continuous screen time and maintaining proper posture are essential steps to lower the occurrence of musculoskeletal issues.
Musculoskeletal conditions represent a major health burden for office workers, leading to substantial absenteeism and high medical expenditure. Identifying the specific body areas affected and the underlying physical and behavioural risks helps employers and health practitioners focus their preventative efforts, highlighting the necessity of proper posture, regular movement breaks, and structured ergonomics education in modern digital workplaces.
The findings provide baseline epidemiological evidence that could inform the design of workplace ergonomics programmes, posture-monitoring tools, or occupational health interventions targeting office and banking environments. Because the work is a systematic literature review identifying risks rather than evaluating a specific product or intervention, practical tools derived from these insights remain at an early concept stage, requiring dedicated intervention studies before implementation.
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Introduction: Rapid technological developments, especially in the use of electronic devices, have affected workers. MSDs are a major burden for both employees and employers, and in contemporary society. Millions of computer workers suffer musculoskeletal diseases and it is the most common cause of occupational illness in the USA and result in medical costs and absenteeism that cost the sector between $45 and $54 billion annually. A single review was done about WMSDs, however it only investigated neck and upper extremities disorders. Therefore, this study aimed to review epidemiological evidence about the prevalence and risk factors of overall WMSDs among computer user bankers and office workers. Methods: An extensive literature search was undertaken in the PubMed, Web of Sciences, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases. Articles published in peer-reviewed English-language journals were considered for inclusion criteria. Articles published in conference proceedings, reports, abstracts, and not full text were excluded. After a thorough search of databases, a total of 90 articles were discovered, and finally, 25 of them met the inclusion criteria and were investigated in detail. Result: The magnitude of WMSDs ranged from 33.8 to 95.3 %. The lower back, neck, upper back, and shoulder were the most affected body parts, and the elbow, hip/thigh, knee, wrist/hand, and ankle/feet were the least affected body parts. Prolonged computer use, being older, repetitive moments, female sex, working in awkward posture, low educational status, a lack of physical exercise, and ergonomics training were significantly affected by MSDs. Conclusion: and recommendation: The prevalence of WMSDS was very high, and as a result, an interventional study should be conducted. Reducing prolonged use of computers and working in the right posture will reduce the magnitude of MSD among computer users.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e25075
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