The evaluation of the effect of physical activity on musculoskeletal discomforts among one of the handicraft industries

Despite the plenty of information about work-related musculoskeletal discomforts and different risk factors leading to the presence of these symptoms, the effect of physical activity as a preventative factor in this field seems unclear. Handicraft industries in Esfahan impose repetitive motions and awkward postures to the individuals and are considered as high risk jobs regarding the musculoskeletal discomforts. Therefore, some interventions including doing regular physical activities are essential for the occupants. This study was done to evaluate the effect of physical activity on musculoskeletal discomforts among the occupants of one of the handicraft industries in Esfahan. This cross-sectional study was an analytical descriptive work performed on 100 occupants in one of the handicraft industries in Esfahan. The census sampling was done in all workshops. The information of individual characteristics including physical activity was collected through a demographic form. The musculoskeletal discomforts data was gathered through Cornell questionnaire. The data was analyzed using Chi-square, Independent-t and one way variance analysis tests and then evaluated by SPSS18. The highest individual complaint of reporting sever musculoskeletal discomforts was related to the musculoskeletal discomforts in right shoulder (36%), right wrist (26%) neck, (25%) and upper right arm (24%).Some significant relationship was found between left wrist(P =0.01), lower back(P =0.01), neck (P =0.006) and physical activities. Based on the study results, it can be concluded that regular physical activity, but not too heavy, can have a positive impact on reducing musculoskeletal discomforts.