Effectiveness of Physiotherapy-Based Ergonomics and Postural Correction on Management of Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders among Dental Practitioners in Tamil Nadu, India: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among dentists have greatly increased since the Industrial Revolution. Self-management interventions, including exercises, have been proven to be effective. The of the study was to determine the effectiveness of physiotherapy-based ergonomic and postural correction on disability and performance among dental practitioners. Methods: A Randomized Controlled Trial study design was conducted among 30 dental practitioners and students from Sri-Ramaswami Memorial (SRM) Dental College, who reported Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders. The Experimental group followed the Posturite protocol and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) exercise protocols. The control group was exposed to routine regular exercises of their choice for at least 30 minutes, three times per week. The Neck Disability Index (NDI), Upper Extremity Function Index (UEFI), and Rolland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) were administered as outcome measures. Results: The experimental group improved the symptoms of the neck, upper limb, and lower back than their control counterparts in paired t-tests where there was a high statistical improvement in both experimental and control groups with t=7, p≤0.001 and t=6, p≤0.01 respectively. On other outcomes UEFI and RMDQ the experimental group had a high statistical significance with UEFI -5, p≤0.001; RMDQ 13, p≤0.001. For the same outcomes, the control group was the least favored as it had t=-3, p≤0.05 and t=4, p≤0.05 on UEFI and RMDQ respectively. Conclusion: Ergonomics and postural correction education interventions can be effective in the management of work-related musculoskeletal disorders.