BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A review to investigate whether there are effective workplace interventions that manage chronic musculoskeletal disorders. METHODS: The literature search included published articles between 2008 and 2017. The databases used in this search were Medline, Scopus, CINAHL, AMED, PsycINFO, Academic Search Complete, Cochrane, and PEDro. A limited search on websites for relevant grey literature was also conducted. RESULTS: The review included 12 studies that investigated effectiveness of a specific strength exercise programme or interventions provided by health professionals at the workplace when compared with controls or interventions not at the workplace. Seven studies were classified as high quality (> 85% of criteria met) and five studies were classified as acceptable. Studies were heterogeneous preventing a meta-analysis. No intervention was clearly superior to another. DISCUSSION: There was some consistency in the results of the selected studies, suggesting that workplace interventions such as high-intensity strength exercises and/or integrated health care can decrease pain and symptoms for employees who experience long-term musculoskeletal disorders. However, the current research is limited.

Full text (sometimes free) may be available at these link(s):      help

• DOI
• PubMed
• PDF locator
• publisher