Abstract
Background: Neck and low back pain are prevalent issues among office workers due to prolonged sitting, necessitating effective interventions. Dynamic seat cushion, designed to promote postural shifts have emerged as promising solutions to address these concern. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a dynamic seat cushion on recovery and recurrence of neck and low back pain in office workers.
Methods: This study used 6-month follow-up data of a randomized controlled trial, involving 66 office workers who reported pain in the trial. At baseline, participants were cluster-randomized into an intervention group, which received a dynamic seat cushion designed to encourage postural shifts, or a control group, which received a placebo seat pad. Health outcomes included recovery duration and recurrence of pain. Analyses utilized log rank test and Cox proportional hazard models.
Results: In the intervention group, the recovery rate from neck and low back pain was 100%, which was 86% for the control group. The median recovery duration in the intervention group (1 month) was two months shorter than in the control group (3 months). The intervention group had a higher probability of recovery compared to the control group (HRadj 4.35, 95% CI 1.87 – 10.11; p < 0.01). The recurrence rate of neck and low back pain was 27% in the intervention group, which was 75% in the control group. The Hazard Ratio, after adjustment, for the intervention group compared to the control group was 0.50 (95% CI = 0.11 – 2.12).
Conclusions: A dynamic seat cushion that encourages postural shifts shortened recovery duration of neck and low back pain among office workers. Due to small numbers, however, a potentially relevant reduction of recurrence of neck and low back pain could not be statistically confirmed.
Thai Clinical Trials Registry: TCTR20230623002 (23/06/2023).