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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2024 Oct 25;25(1):850.
doi: 10.1186/s12891-024-07947-4.

Effectiveness of a dynamic seat cushion on recovery and recurrence of neck and low back pain in office workers: a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial

Sirinant Channak  1 , Erwin M Speklé  2   3 , Allard J van der Beek  3 , Prawit Janwantanakul  4
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Effectiveness of a dynamic seat cushion on recovery and recurrence of neck and low back pain in office workers: a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial

Sirinant Channak et al. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. .

Abstract

Background: Neck and low back pain are prevalent issues among office workers due to prolonged sitting, necessitating effective interventions. Dynamic seat cushion, designed to promote postural shifts, have emerged as promising solutions to address this concern. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a dynamic seat cushion on recovery and recurrence of neck and/or low back pain in office workers.

Methods: This study used 6-month follow-up data of a randomized controlled trial, involving 66 office workers who reported neck and/or low back pain during the trial. At baseline, participants were cluster-randomized into an intervention group, which received a dynamic seat cushion designed to encourage postural shifts, or a control group, which received a placebo seat pad. Health outcomes included recovery duration and recurrence of pain. Analyses utilized log rank test and Cox proportional hazard models.

Results: The recovery rate from neck and/or low back pain was 100% for the intervention group, and 86% for the control group. The median recovery duration of participants who reported pain during the 6-month period was 1 month in the intervention group and 3 months in the control group. The intervention group had a higher probability of recovery compared to the control group (HRadj 4.35, 95% CI 1.87-10.11; p < 0.01). The recurrence rate of neck and low back pain was 27% in the intervention group, which was 75% in the control group. The Hazard Ratio, after adjustment, for the intervention group compared to the control group was 0.50 (95% CI = 0.11-2.12).

Conclusions: A dynamic seat cushion that encourages postural shifts shortened recovery duration of neck and low back pain among office workers. Due to small numbers, a potentially relevant reduction in the recurrence of neck and low back pain could not be statistically confirmed. A power analysis was not conducted for this secondary analysis, and future studies should be designed with adequate sample sizes to explore the recurrence of pain with greater statistical power.

Trial registration: This trial is retrospectively registered under the Thai Clinical Trials Registry: TCTR20230623002 (23/06/2023).

Keywords: Dynamic sitting; Office worker; Postural shift.

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Conflict of interest statement

EMS and AJB declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. The cushion being studied has currently been in the process of obtaining a patent owned by the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) and Chulalongkorn University. SC and PJ have been listed as inventors and may receive financial benefits from the patent.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) flowchart of the study
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Kaplan-Meier survival curves for recovery duration from neck and/or low back pain
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Kaplan-Meier survival curves for recurrence of neck and/or low back pain
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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