Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35650349›Full record

ArticleInternational archives of occupational and environmental health2022

Can the Borg CR-10 scale for neck and low back discomfort predict future neck and low back pain among high-risk office workers?

Pooriput Waongenngarm, Allard J van der Beek, Prawit Janwantanakul, Nipaporn Akkarakittichoke, Pieter Coenen

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International archives of occupational and environmental health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Comparison of Muscle Load, Comfort, Usability, and Time-On-Task Across 3 Wheelchair Handle Orientations and Ground Types: A Randomized Crossover Study.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2026
    Trial
  2. Trial
  3. Upper body posture changes during sitting in female office workers with lower crossed syndrome.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liao · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Pooriput WaongenngarmFaculty of Health Science Technology, HRH Princess Chulabhorn College of Medical Science, Chulabhorn Royal Academy, Bangkok, Thailand.
Allard J van der BeekDepartment of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Prawit JanwantanakulDepartment of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Nipaporn AkkarakittichokeDepartment of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Pieter CoenenDepartment of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. p.coenen@amsterdamumc.nl.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposePerceived discomfort could indicate an early sign of pain, for example, as a result of a biomechanical load on the musculoskeletal system. Assessing discomfort can, therefore, help to identify workers at increased risk of musculoskeletal disorders for targeted intervention development. We aimed: (1) to identify the optimal cut-off value of neck and low back discomfort among office workers and (2) to evaluate its predictive validity with future neck and low back pain, respectively.

methodsAt baseline healthy participants (n = 100) completed questionnaires, including the Borg CR-10 discomfort scale (on a 0-10 scale), and were followed for six months, during which musculoskeletal pain was assessed monthly. Logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the associations of baseline discomfort with the onset of future neck or low back pain. Sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve were estimated to identify the optimal discomfort cut-off value predicting future pain.

resultsBorg CR-10 scores ≥ 3.5 for perceived neck and low back discomfort had acceptable sensitivity and specificity to predict future neck and low back pain, respectively. Perceived discomfort at baseline as a dichotomous measure (using the ≥ 3.5 cut-off) was a statistically significant predictor of future neck pain (OR = 10.33) and low back pain (OR = 11.81).

conclusionWe identified the optimal cut-off value of the Borg CR-10 discomfort scale to identify office workers at increased risk of developing neck and low back pain. These findings might benefit ergonomists, primary health care providers, and occupational health researchers in developing targeted interventions.

Indexed as

Low Back PainMusculoskeletal PainOccupational DiseasesHumansNeckNeck PainSurveys and QuestionnairesDiscomfortLow back painNeck painOffice workersPredictive validity

Identifiers

PMID35650349
PMCPMC9630392

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.