Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Jul;65(7):657-62.
doi: 10.1590/S1807-59322010000700003.

Stretching and joint mobilization exercises reduce call-center operators' musculoskeletal discomfort and fatigue

Denise Helena de Castro Lacaze  1 , Isabel de C N Sacco, Lys Esther Rocha, Carlos Alberto de Bragança Pereira, Raquel Aparecida Casarotto
Affiliations

Stretching and joint mobilization exercises reduce call-center operators' musculoskeletal discomfort and fatigue

Denise Helena de Castro Lacaze et al. Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2010 Jul.

Abstract

Aim: We sought to evaluate musculoskeletal discomfort and mental and physical fatigue in the call-center workers of an airline company before and after a supervised exercise program compared with rest breaks during the work shift.

Introduction: This was a longitudinal pilot study conducted in a flight-booking call-center for an airline in São Paulo, Brazil. Occupational health activities are recommended to decrease the negative effects of the call-center working conditions. In practice, exercise programs are commonly recommended for computer workers, but their effects have not been studied in call-center operators.

Methods: Sixty-four call-center operators participated in this study. Thirty-two subjects were placed into the experimental group and attended a 10-min daily exercise session for 2 months. Conversely, 32 participants were placed into the control group and took a 10-min daily rest break during the same period. Each subject was evaluated once a week by means of the Corlett-Bishop body map with a visual analog discomfort scale and the Chalder fatigue questionnaire.

Results: Musculoskeletal discomfort decreased in both groups, but the reduction was only statistically significant for the spine and buttocks (p=0.04) and the sum of the segments (p=0.01) in the experimental group. In addition, the experimental group showed significant differences in the level of mental fatigue, especially in questions related to memory Rienzo, #181ff and tiredness (p=0.001).

Conclusions: Our preliminary results demonstrate that appropriately designed and supervised exercise programs may be more efficient than rest breaks in decreasing discomfort and fatigue levels in call-center operators.

Keywords: Computer terminal; Computer users; Exercise therapy; Occupational disorders; Work rest.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Ranked gain in the level of discomfort in the experimental (EG) and control (CG) groups after the exercise program.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Proper K, Staal BJ, Hildebrandt VH, vanderBeek A, vanMechelen W. Effectiveness of physical activity programs at worksites with respect to work-related outcomes. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2002;28:75–84. - PubMed
    1. Blangsted AK, Sogaard K, Hansen EA, Hannerz H, Sjogaard G. One-year randomized controlled trial with different physical-activity programs to reduce musculoskeletal symptoms in the neck and shoulders among office workers. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2008;34:55–65. - PubMed
    1. Statistics BL. Occupational Employment Statistics. Available from: www.bls.gov/oes/2005/may/oes419041.htm#ind: Accessed in (Feb 28):
    1. Telesserviços ABd. Associação Brasileira de Telesserviços. Available from: http://www.abt.org.br: Accessed in (Jan 29):
    1. Rocha LE, Glina DMR, Marinho MF, Nakasato D. Risk factors for musculoskeletal symptoms among call center operators in São Paulo, Brazil. Industrial Health. 2005;43:637–46. - PubMed