Affiliations: [a] Physiotherapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| [b]
Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, Singapore
| [c] Metro South Health, Queensland Department of Health, Australia
| [d] School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| [e] Occupational and Environmental Medicine Center, Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences, Division of Prevention, Rehabilitation and Community Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| [f] Unit of Intervention and Implementation Research for Worker Health, Institute for Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| [g] Recover Injury Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Australia
Correspondence:
[*]
Address for correspondence: Associate Professor Venerina Johnston. Oral Health Centre. The University of Queensland, Herston Qld 4006, Australia. Tel.: +61 0 7 3346 4859; E-mail: [email protected].
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Dental workers including dental health students experience a high incidence of neck/shoulder symptoms. However, research into interventions has been scarce and largely focused on tools and technological modifications. OBJECTIVE:This study investigates the feasibility and benefits of a neck/shoulder exercise intervention on work posture and local symptoms in dental health students. METHODS:Twenty-three students participated in a 10-week resistance exercise program for 2 minutes daily, 5 days per week. Work posture (evaluated with the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment tool, RULA), muscle strength measures, self-rated symptom severity and function were collected. Feasibility of the intervention was determined with six items scored on a 5-point Likert scale. RESULTS:The exercise intervention improved: work posture score by 1.88 (95% CI 1.05–2.70, p < 0.01) points on the RULA; isometric maximal strength of neck flexor and extensor muscles by 17.2% (95% CI 6.9–27.6%, p < 0.01) and 23.2% (95% CI 10.2–36.3%, p < 0.01) respectively; and clinical performance (77%). Isometric strength of the shoulder muscles, and symptom severity at the neck/shoulder showed no improvement. Adherence to training was 77%. CONCLUSION:Ten weeks of exercise was feasible for dental health students, and likely beneficial with improvements in work posture and neck muscle strength.
