Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39857531›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2025

Ergonomic Challenges and Musculoskeletal Pain During Remote Working: A Study of Academic Staff at a Selected University in South Africa During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Nevinia Narainsamy, Francis Fabian Akpa-Inyang, Stanley Chibuzor Onwubu, Nalini Govender, Julian David Pillay

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
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.

Nevinia NarainsamyDepartment of Chiropractic, Faculty of Health Sciences, Durban University of Technology, Durban 4001, South Africa.ORCID 0009-0000-0714-5219
Francis Fabian Akpa-InyangFaculty of Health Sciences, Durban University of Technology, Durban 4001, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0002-3351-4126
Stanley Chibuzor OnwubuFaculty of Management Sciences, Durban University of Technology, Durban 4001, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0002-4499-1534
Nalini GovenderDepartment of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Durban University of Technology, Durban 4001, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0002-4047-6340
Julian David PillayFaculty of Health Sciences, Durban University of Technology, Durban 4001, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0001-8502-8878

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a rapid shift to remote working, which affected ergonomic conditions and increased the risk of upper body musculoskeletal pain (MSP). This study assessed the prevalence and impact of upper body MSP (affecting the head, neck, shoulders, and back) among academic staff at a University of Technology during the pandemic. Data were collected from 110 participants through an online, descriptive, cross-sectional survey adapted from the Dutch Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, the Standardized Nordic Questionnaire, and the McCaffrey Initial Pain Assessment Tool. The survey examined demographics, ergonomic practices, MSP, and psychological well-being before and during the pandemic. The sample included 59.1% female participants, with most being middle-aged. Persistent MSP was common, with 54.5% reporting neck pain and 59.1% experiencing back pain during the pandemic, alongside a significant decline in wrists in neutral position ergonomics (

Indexed as

COVID-19ErgonomicsMusculoskeletal PainOccupational DiseasesTeleworkingAdultCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPandemicsPrevalenceSARS-CoV-2South AfricaSurveys and Questionnairesacademic staffCOVID-19 pandemicergonomicsmusculoskeletal pain (MSP)remote working

Identifiers

PMID39857531
PMCPMC11764627

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.