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Fulltext Musculoskeletal disorders and their relationship with physical activities among office workers: a review

Shariat A, Mohd Tamrin SB, Arumugam M, Danaee M, Ramasamy R

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2016;16(1):62-74.
MyJurnal

Lower back, neck and shoulder pain are the most prevalent musculoskeletal problems affecting office workers worldwide, and they have both personal and socioeconomic consequences as well. Several hypotheses regarding the underlying mechanisms and the maintenance behind office work-related musculoskeletal disorders have been presented. There is some evidence, based on epidemiological studies as well as studies upon smaller groups of subjects, that individuals who sit and work for a long time not only show cognitive impairment at the workplace, but also suffer from poorer and fragmented daytime sleep, in addition to increased risks of developing various psychological, physiological and medical impairments and musculoskeletal disorders. The related physical mechanisms behind musculoskeletal disorders are discussed in the context of new findings. The main causes, as well as varying levels in severity of musculoskeletal disorders,not to mentionthe link between such disorders in the neck, shoulder and lower back regions and physical activity among office workers are also stated. The main objective of this review paper is to conduct a systematic review to identify musculoskeletal disorders and how these disorders are
correlated with physical activity among office workers. The results of this review indicate that the musculoskeletal disorder is a critical issue among office workers and the main cause is related to the absence of physical activity as well as the subjects’ sedentary lifestyle. As a practical message, regular physical activity can be effective in the prevention and decrease of physical discomfort among office workers who suffer from musculoskeletal pain.

Matched MeSH terms: Musculoskeletal Pain*
Fulltext Work-related musculoskeletal symptoms among batik workers in Kelantan

Musa R, Kyi W, Rampal KG

Malays J Med Sci, 2000 Jul;7(2):13-7.
PMID: 22977385 MyJurnal

A cross sectional study was carried out to evaluate the extent of occupational health problems focusing on some aspects of musculoskeletal symptoms among batik workers in Kelantan, Malaysia. The workers selected must have been in that industry for at least one year. Using cluster sampling, 202 workers were selected from 21 factories. More than half (60.2%) of the workers had been troubled with musculoskeletal symptoms at work. The most common symptoms were pain over the shoulders (41.0%), lower back (34.4%) and ankle (34.4%). Duration of employment, younger age group, prolonged standing and awkward working task were among contributing factors. It is therefore necessary to improve on both ergonomic and psychosocial environments of batik workers in order to prevent these musculoskeletal symptoms.

Matched MeSH terms: Musculoskeletal Pain*
Fulltext Poor sitting posture and a heavy schoolbag as contributors to musculoskeletal pain in children: an ergonomic school education intervention program

Syazwan A, Azhar MM, Anita A, Azizan H, Shaharuddin M, Hanafiah JM, et al.

J Pain Res, 2011;4:287-96.
PMID: 22003301 DOI: 10.2147/JPR.S22281

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate a multidisciplinary, interventional, ergonomic education program designed to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal problems by reducing schoolbag weight and correcting poor sitting posture.
METHODS: Data were collected twice before and twice following intervention using the Standardized Nordic Body Map Questionnaire, a rapid upper limb assessment for posture evaluation, and schoolbag weight measurement in children aged 8 and 11 years attending two schools within the central region of Malaysia.
RESULTS: Students who received the ergonomic intervention reported significant improvements in their sitting posture in a classroom environment and reduction of schoolbag weight as compared with the controls.
CONCLUSION: A single-session, early intervention, group ergonomics education program for children aged 8 and 11 years is appropriate and effective, and should be considered as a strategy to reduce musculoskeletal pain among schoolchildren in this age group.
KEYWORDS: assessment; awareness; education; ergonomic; intervention; musculoskeletal pain; school children

Matched MeSH terms: Musculoskeletal Pain*
Fulltext Biomechanics Analysis of the Firefighters' Thorax Movement on Personal Protective Equipment during Lifting Task Using Inertial Measurement Unit Motion Capture

Yunus MNH, Jaafar MH, Mohamed ASA, Azraai NZ, Amil N, Zein RM

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2022 Oct 31;19(21).
PMID: 36361112 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192114232

Back injury is a common musculoskeletal injury reported among firefighters (FFs) due to their nature of work and personal protective equipment (PPE). The nature of the work associated with heavy lifting tasks increases FFs' risk of back injury. This study aimed to assess the biomechanics movement of FFs on personal protective equipment during a lifting task. A set of questionnaires was used to identify the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain experienced by FFs. Inertial measurement unit (IMU) motion capture was used in this study to record the body angle deviation and angular acceleration of FFs' thorax extension. The descriptive analysis was used to analyze the relationship between the FFs' age and body mass index with the FFs' thorax movement during the lifting task with PPE and without PPE. Sixty-three percent of FFs reported lower back pain during work, based on the musculoskeletal pain questionnaire. The biomechanics analysis of thorax angle deviation and angular acceleration has shown that using FFs PPE significantly causes restricted movement and limited mobility for the FFs. As regards human factors, the FFs' age influences the angle deviation while wearing PPE and FFs' BMI influences the angular acceleration without wearing PPE during the lifting activity.

Matched MeSH terms: Musculoskeletal Pain*
Fulltext Does prolonged standing at work among teachers associated with Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs)?

Ayuni Nabilah Alias, Karmegam Karuppiah, Vivien How, Velu Perumal

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2020;16(2):281-289.
MyJurnal

In order to accomplish a wide range of duties and responsibilities that may be done under unpleasant working con- ditions, prolonged standing posture is common with school teachers. Nevertheless, standing upright for a long time or otherwise regarded as prolonged standing frequently contributes to body pain and discomfort, muscle fatigue and even health problems such as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The aim of this paper is to review MSDs arising from prolonged standing and spread information on existing ergonomic and non-ergonomic interventions to alleviate prolonged standing discomfort. Systematic review on prolonged standing school teachers with specific keywords were recognized to discover the appropriate studies and information in a systematic search. The informations in this review may be helpful to guide teacher, school management and researchers to implement the suitable interventions in order to minimise the health issue due to MSDs among school teachers.

Matched MeSH terms: Musculoskeletal Pain
Fulltext Does the definition of multisite musculoskeletal pain influence its occurrence and the assessement of physical work exposures?

Hanizah M.Y., Nor Hassim I

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2015;15(2):40-48.
MyJurnal

Most people with musculoskeletal problem suffer pain at multiple body sites. The most frequent form of multisite pain studied is chronic widespread pain (CWP). Focusing solely on CWP may exclude the commoner form of multisite pain which is less wide spread. Therefore, studies on multisite pain which do not consider the spatial distribution of pain can be beneficial to tackle the overall problem of musculoskeletal pain. Nevertheless, multisite pain has been defined differently in the studies among workers. The absence of uniformed definition will jeopardize the understanding of this musculoskeletal problem. A review was thus carried out to identify how multisite pain were defined, how they influenced the reported occurrence of multisite pain and whether the definition determined the physical work exposures assessed in previous studies among worker. A systematic review was initiated by the search of electronic databases for multisite pain. Articles were included and excluded based on the selection criteria. A final of nine full text articles were reviewed. It was found that the difference in the definitions lies mainly in the body sites considered and the pain characteristics. The characteristics of pain influenced the multisite pain prevalence more than the sites.It wasdifficult to conclude whether the definition used determined the physical work exposures since only five studies were involved and three of them had similar research team which may explained the usage of similar exposures. The findings from this review, however, could not be inferred due to the small number of studies involved.

Matched MeSH terms: Musculoskeletal Pain
Fulltext Office exercise training to reduce and prevent the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders among office workers: a hypothesis

Shariat A, Mohd Tamrin SB, Arumugam M, Danaee M, Ramasamy R

Malays J Med Sci, 2016 Jul;23(4):54-8.
PMID: 27660545 MyJurnal DOI: 10.21315/mjms2016.23.4.7

Pain in specific areas of the body (including the lower back, neck, and shoulders) due to extended periods of sitting and inactivity is the most widespread musculoskeletal disorder worldwide and has consequences that are both socio-economic and personal. This condition is particularly prevalent in industrialised countries, affecting roughly 70% to 80% of adults at some point in their lives; approximately 1% of the U.S. population is chronically disabled by this type of pain disorder. A practical way to reduce the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain among office workers would have a significant positive impact. More work is required to develop a package of exercises designed to prevent and treat musculoskeletal pain in office workers. Such a package would be preferable to pharmacological treatments, which can have undesirable side effects. The main objective of this package would be to increase the flexibility and strength of trunk muscles in order to decrease the soreness, pain, and degree of discomfort. In this article, we introduce our proposed package of exercises, which are based on guidelines issued bythe American College of Sports Medicine.

Matched MeSH terms: Musculoskeletal Pain
Ergonomic evaluation of postural stress in school workshop

Hashim AM, Dawal SZ, Yusoff N

Work, 2012;41 Suppl 1:827-31.
PMID: 22316824 DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0249-827

The objective of this study is to compare the evaluation of postural analysis between a self-report questionnaire and physical assessments methods for students aged 13 to 15 years old in school workshop. 336 students were volunteered as participants to fill in the questionnaire and being observed in the workshop. Total of 104 positions were selected and analyzed while students performing their tasks. Questionnaire data was examined to specify the prevalence of postural stress symptoms. The relationship of postural stress by physical assessment methods (RULA and REBA methods) was defined to identify the risk level of students' working posture. From the results, comparison of four factors categorized from total of 22 questions among ages, the mean values were lower for 13 years old students meaning that they were faced higher posture problems while using the workstation. The obtained results from both physical assessment methods and questionnaire analysis have identified 13 years old students faced higher risk exposure. Analysis results emphasized the fact that self-reports questionnaire method has almost accurate as postural evaluation methods to identify physical risks in workplace. The result also shows that an intervention is needed to overcome the posture problems.

Matched MeSH terms: Musculoskeletal Pain/etiology*
Fulltext Rare Presentation of a Rare Disease (Erdheim-Chester disease): A Case Report

Koh T, Fadli M, Vijaya Kumar S, Rao AS

Malays Orthop J, 2012 Nov;6(3):69-71.
PMID: 25279065 MyJurnal DOI: 10.5704/MOJ.1207.020

Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) was first reported by J. Erdheim and W. Chester, in 1930. There are less than 250 reported cases till date. We report a case of ECD in a 16- year-old Malay male, who initially presented with elusive anemic symptoms with more specific symptoms of bony pain, cardiorespiratory and hepatic involvement evolving as the disease progressed.

Matched MeSH terms: Musculoskeletal Pain
Contributing factors, prevention, and management of playing-related musculoskeletal disorders among flute players internationally

Lonsdale K, Laakso EL, Tomlinson V

Med Probl Perform Art, 2014 Sep;29(3):155-62.
PMID: 25194113

Major studies have shown that flutists report playing-related pain in the neck, middle/upper back, shoulders, wrists, and hands. The current survey was designed to establish the injury concerns of flute players and teachers of all backgrounds, as well as their knowledge and awareness of injury prevention and management. Questions addressed a range of issues including education, history of injuries, preventative and management strategies, lifestyle factors, and teaching methods. At the time of the survey, 26.7% of all respondents were suffering from flute playing-related discomfort or pain; 49.7% had experienced flute playing-related discomfort or pain that was severe enough to distract while performing; and 25.8% had taken an extended period of time off playing because of discomfort or pain. Consistent with earlier studies, the most common pain sites were the fingers, hands, arms, neck, middle/upper back, and shoulders. Further research is needed to establish possible links between sex, instrument types, and ergonomic set up. Further investigation is recommended to ascertain whether certain types of physical training, education, and practice approaches may be more suitable than current methods. A longitudinal study researching the relationship between early education, playing position, ergonomic set-up, and prevalence of injury is recommended.

Matched MeSH terms: Musculoskeletal Pain/epidemiology*; Musculoskeletal Pain/prevention & control*
Fulltext Patterns of multisite pain and associations with risk factors

Coggon D, Ntani G, Palmer KT, Felli VE, Harari R, Barrero LH, et al.

Pain, 2013 Sep;154(9):1769-1777.
PMID: 23727463 DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2013.05.039

To explore definitions for multisite pain, and compare associations with risk factors for different patterns of musculoskeletal pain, we analysed cross-sectional data from the Cultural and Psychosocial Influences on Disability (CUPID) study. The study sample comprised 12,410 adults aged 20-59 years from 47 occupational groups in 18 countries. A standardised questionnaire was used to collect information about pain in the past month at each of 10 anatomical sites, and about potential risk factors. Associations with pain outcomes were assessed by Poisson regression, and characterised by prevalence rate ratios (PRRs). Extensive pain, affecting 6-10 anatomical sites, was reported much more frequently than would be expected if the occurrence of pain at each site were independent (674 participants vs 41.9 expected). In comparison with pain involving only 1-3 sites, it showed much stronger associations (relative to no pain) with risk factors such as female sex (PRR 1.6 vs 1.1), older age (PRR 2.6 vs 1.1), somatising tendency (PRR 4.6 vs 1.3), and exposure to multiple physically stressing occupational activities (PRR 5.0 vs 1.4). After adjustment for number of sites with pain, these risk factors showed no additional association with a distribution of pain that was widespread according to the frequently used American College of Rheumatology criteria. Our analysis supports the classification of pain at multiple anatomical sites simply by the number of sites affected, and suggests that extensive pain differs importantly in its associations with risk factors from pain that is limited to only a small number of anatomical sites.

Matched MeSH terms: Musculoskeletal Pain/epidemiology*; Musculoskeletal Pain/pathology*
Fulltext Association of psychological distress and work psychosocial factors with self-reported musculoskeletal pain among secondary school teachers in Malaysia

Zamri EN, Moy FM, Hoe VC

PLoS One, 2017;12(2):e0172195.
PMID: 28234933 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0172195

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal pain is common among teachers. Work-related psychosocial factors are found to be associated with the development of musculoskeletal pain, however psychological distress may also play an important role.
OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of self-reported low back pain (LBP), and neck and/or shoulder pain (NSP) among secondary school teachers; and to evaluate the association of LBP and NSP with psychological distress and work-related psychosocial factors.
METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among teachers in the state of Penang, Malaysia. The participants were recruited via a two stage sampling method. Information on demographic, psychological distress, work-related psychosocial factors, and musculoskeletal pain (LBP and NSP) in the past 12 months was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Poisson regression was used to estimate the prevalence ratio (PR) for the associations between psychological distress and work-related psychosocial factors with LBP and NSP.
RESULTS: The prevalence of self-reported LBP and NSP among 1482 teachers in the past 12 months was 48.0% (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 45.2%, 50.9%) and 60.1% (95% CI 57.4%, 62.9%) respectively. From the multivariate analysis, self-reported LBP was associated with teachers who reported severe to extremely severe depression (PR: 1.71, 95% CI 1.25, 2.32), severe to extremely severe anxiety (1.46, 95% CI 1.22, 1.75), high psychological job demand (1.29, 95% CI 1.06, 1.57), low skill discretion (1.28, 95% CI 1.13, 1.47) and poorer mental health (0.98, 95% CI 0.97, 0.99). Self-reported NSP was associated with mild to moderate anxiety (1.18, 95% CI 1.06, 1.33), severe to extremely severe anxiety (1.25, 95% CI 1.09, 1.43), low supervisory support (1.13, 95% CI 1.03, 1.25) and poorer mental health (0.98, 95% CI 0.97, 0.99).
CONCLUSIONS: Self-reported LBP and NSP were common among secondary school teachers. Interventions targeting psychological distress and work-related psychosocial characteristics may reduce musculoskeletal pain among school teachers.

Matched MeSH terms: Musculoskeletal Pain/complications; Musculoskeletal Pain/psychology*
The application of a feasible exercise training program in the office setting

Shariat A, Lam ET, Kargarfard M, Tamrin SB, Danaee M

Work, 2017;56(3):421-428.
PMID: 28269804 DOI: 10.3233/WOR-172508

BACKGROUND: Previous research support the claim that people who work in offices and sit for a long time are particularly prone to musculoskeletal disorders.
OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this paper is to introduce an exercise training program designed to decrease muscle stiffness and pain that can be performed in the office setting.
METHODS: Forty healthy office workers (age: 28±5.3 years old; body mass: 87.2±10.2 kg; height: 1.79±0.15 m) apart from suffering from any sub-clinical symptoms of muscle and joint stiffness, and who had at least two years of experience in office work were chosen and randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n = 20) or a control group (n = 20). The experimental group performed the exercise training program three times a week for 11 weeks. The Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire was used to measure the pain levels in the neck, shoulders, and lower back areas. The Borg CR-10 Scale was used to measure their perceived exertion when doing the exercises, and a goniometer was used to measure the changes in range of motion (ROM) of the neck, hips, knees, and shoulders.
RESULTS: The overall results indicated that the exercise program could significantly (p pains of the participants in the exercise group while those in the control group showed no improvement in those pains. There were significant (p pains, but also can improve the ROM or flexibility of the office workers.

Matched MeSH terms: Musculoskeletal Pain/prevention & control*; Musculoskeletal Pain/therapy*
Fulltext Changes in body pain among overweight and obese housewives living in Klang Valley, Malaysia: findings from the MyBFF@home study

Mohd Sallehuddin S, Mohamad Nor NS, Ambak R, Abdul Aziz NS, Mohd Zaki NA, Omar MA, et al.

BMC Womens Health, 2018 07 19;18(Suppl 1):101.
PMID: 30066647 DOI: 10.1186/s12905-018-0597-x

BACKGROUND: Obesity leads to the increase of pain at different parts of the body and it is a potential marker for complications of chronic diseases. This paper aims to assess changes in the body pain among overweight and obese housewives who participated in the My Body is Fit and Fabulous at home (MyBFF@home) study.
METHODS: Housewives aged 18 to 59 years old from the MyBFF@home study were selected and pain was measured using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) questionnaire. VAS measured the pain intensity at different parts of the body (score of 0-10). Data were collected at base line, 3 months and 6 months among the housewives in both the control and intervention group. Pain scores and other variables (age, Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference) were analysed using SPSS version 22.
RESULTS: A total of 328 housewives completed the VAS questionnaires at baseline, while 185 (56.4%) of housewives completed the VAS at 3 months and 6 months. A decreasing trend of mean pain score in both groups after 6 months was observed. However, the intervention group showed a consistent decreasing trend of pain score mainly for back pain. In the control group, there was a slight increment of score in back pain from baseline towards the 6 months period. Older housewives in both groups (aged 50 years and above) had a higher mean score of leg pain (2.86, SD: 2.82) compared to the other age group. Higher BMI was significantly associated with pain score in both groups.
CONCLUSION: There were some changes in the level of body pain among the housewives before and after the intervention. Older obese women had a higher pain score compared to younger obese women. Pain was associated with BMI and change in BMI appears to be beneficial in reducing body pain among overweight and obese individuals.

Matched MeSH terms: Musculoskeletal Pain/etiology; Musculoskeletal Pain/physiopathology*
Notes from the field: acute muscular sarcocystosis among returning travelers - Tioman Island, Malaysia, 2011

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep, 2012 Jan 20;61(2):37-8.
PMID: 22258418

GeoSentinel (the surveillance program of the International Society of Travel Medicine and CDC) has identified 32 cases of suspected acute muscular sarcocystosis in travelers returning from Tioman Island off the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. All the patients traveled to Tioman Island during the summer of 2011. Within days or weeks of returning home, all experienced fever and muscle pain, often severe and prolonged. All had peripheral eosinophilia, and most had elevated serum creatinine phosphokinase levels. Most were tested for acute trichinosis and toxoplasmosis by serology, and all of these tests were negative. Approximately half of the patients were identified in Germany; others were reported elsewhere in Europe, and in North America and Asia. Muscle biopsy from two patients demonstrated organisms consistent with sarcocystosis, one from a group of five ill travelers and one from a group of three.

Matched MeSH terms: Musculoskeletal Pain/etiology; Musculoskeletal Pain/parasitology
Ongoing outbreak of an acute muscular Sarcocystis-like illness among travellers returning from Tioman Island, Malaysia, 2011-2012

Esposito DH, Freedman DO, Neumayr A, Parola P

Euro Surveill, 2012 Nov 08;17(45).
PMID: 23153473

As of 4 November, 2012, 100 patients with an acute muscular Sarcocystis-like illness associated with travel to Tioman Island, Malaysia, have been identified. Thirty-five travelled there mostly during July and August 2011 and 65 mostly during July and August 2012, suggesting an ongoing outbreak. Epidemiological investigations are ongoing. Public health agencies and practicing clinicians should be aware of this rarely-reported disease in humans and consider it as differential diagnosis in travellers returning from Tioman Island.

Matched MeSH terms: Musculoskeletal Pain/complications; Musculoskeletal Pain/etiology; Musculoskeletal Pain/parasitology
Prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in a sample of migrant workers in the manufacturing industry in Malaysia

Santos A, Ramos HM, Ramasamy G, Fernandes C

Public Health, 2014 Aug;128(8):759-61.
PMID: 25115577 DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2014.04.003
Matched MeSH terms: Musculoskeletal Pain/epidemiology*
The Bahasa Melayu version of Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ): Reliability and validity study in Malaysia

Shariat A, Tamrin SB, Arumugam M, Ramasamy R

Work, 2016 Mar 09;54(1):171-8.
PMID: 26967034 DOI: 10.3233/WOR-162269

BACKGROUND: The Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ) was developed to assess the level of musculoskeletal discomfort among office workers related to their ergonomic situation.
OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this initial study is to analyze the validity and dependability of the Malay translation of the Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire.
METHODS: The questionnaire was self-administered two times, with an interval of two weeks in order to evaluate the accuracy of the original findings with a retest. The study involved 115 participants.
RESULTS: The range of Cronbach Alpha coefficient showed a considerable consistency of the items for each sub-scale (Cronbach's a > 0.95). The range of Kappa coefficients was between (ICC = 0.690-0.949, p

Matched MeSH terms: Musculoskeletal Pain/diagnosis*
Work-related musculoskeletal pain and its self-reported impact among practicing dentists in Puducherry, India

Shekhawat KS, Chauhan A, Sakthidevi S, Nimbeni B, Golai S, Stephen L

Indian J Dent Res, 2020 8 10;31(3):354-357.
PMID: 32769266 DOI: 10.4103/ijdr.IJDR_352_18

Background: Work-related musculoskeletal pain (MSPs) is not uncommon among dentist and often limits their work efficiency impacting their quality of life.
Aim: The present research was conducted to identify site-specific pain resulting from musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among practicing dentists and determine its impact on their quality of life.
Setting and Design: A cross-sectional questionnaire study conducted among practicing dentists of Puducherry Taluk, Puducherry, India.
Method and Materials: A closed-ended, self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 95 practicing dentists to identify site-specific MSP from the study subjects. Data on pain due to MSDs, frequency of pain, its impact on quality of life, relieving factors, patients attended per day, working hours per day, and awareness on ergonomics were also recorded.
Statistical Analyses: The data were analyzed for descriptive statistics, and Chi-square tests was used for proportions.
Results: Almost all respondents experienced pain due to MSDs. Approximately, 11.1% "always" experienced elbow pain; 5.6% "always" experienced pain in neck and back. Approximately, 83% "sometimes" experienced pain in the back. Pain in elbow was significantly associated with gender (P = 0.036), qualification (P = 0.029), and years of practice (P = 0.032). Approximately, 36% reported having an impact on their life.
Conclusion: The magnitude of the problem is slowly shifting from "sometimes" to "always." Although small in proportion, pain due to MSDs has an impact on dental practitioners' quality of life, and elbow pain was reportedly higher in the study setting. Measures need to be implemented before MSD becomes a career limiting occupational hazard.

Matched MeSH terms: Musculoskeletal Pain*
Efficacy and safety of Derris scandens (Roxb.) Benth. for musculoskeletal pain treatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Puttarak P, Sawangjit R, Chaiyakunapruk N

J Ethnopharmacol, 2016 Dec 24;194:316-323.
PMID: 27620659 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2016.09.021

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Derris scandens (Roxb.) Benth. has been used as active ingredient in Thai traditional medicine recipes for pain treatment. Dry stem powder and ethanolic extract also recommended in Thailand National List of Essential Medicines (NLEMs) for musculoskeletal pain treatment as herbal medicine. However, no summarization of clinical effect and safety has been evaluated.
OBJECTIVE: Our study aimed to determine the clinical effects and safety of D. scandens for musculoskeletal pain treatment compared with standard regimen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
METHODS: International and Thai databases were searched from inception through August 2015. Comparative randomized controlled trials investigating oral D. scandens for musculoskeletal pain were included. Outcomes of interest included level of pain and adverse event. Mean changes of the outcomes from baseline were compared between D. scandens and NSAIDs by calculating mean difference.
RESULTS: From 42 articles identified, 4 studies involving a total of 414 patients were included for efficacy analysis. The effects of oral D. scandens on reducing pain score were no different from those of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs at any time points (3, 7, 14 days and overall). The overall pain reduction in the D. scandens group was not inferior to treatment with NSAIDs (weighted mean difference 0.06; 95% CI: -0.20, 0.31) without evident of heterogeneity (I(2)=0.00%, p=0.768). When compared, the adverse events (AEs) of D. scandens showed no different relative risk with NSAIDs. The major adverse events were gastrointestinal symptoms.
CONCLUSION: D. scandens may be considered as an alternative for musculoskeletal pain reduction.

Matched MeSH terms: Musculoskeletal Pain/drug therapy*

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