one year study of musculoskeletal disorders and their relation to occupational stress among office workers: a brief report

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the most common reported occupational health problem which cause high financial burden and reduce efficiency of workers. MSDs are often multifactorial. This study was done to determine the frequency of MSDs and their relation to occupational stress among office workers. Methods: 332 office workers were recruited in descriptive-analytical study. To assess the frequency of MSDs, we used Nordic questionnaires and to assess the occupational stress, we used the general Nordic questionnaire for psychological and social factors at work (QPS Nordic+34 questionnaire). The collected data were processed and analyzed. Results: Our study showed that the frequency of MSDs among office workers was higher than the general population and the stress index was higher (P=0.002) among the office workers with MSDs than employees without it. Conclusion: This study showed that occupational stress was a risk factor for MSDs, especially in the upper extremities.