The Effect of Selected Corrective Exercise on Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Farmers in Babol

Due to inappropriate postures, high workload, and lack of physical fitness, farmers are at risk of musculoskeletal disorders. The present study aimed to examine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in rice farmers of Babol. Then, the effect of 8 weeks of corrective exercises on neck, back, shoulder, and wrist disorders was evaluated.
This quasi-experimental study was conducted on a sample of rice farmers from Babol. At first, the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders was assessed using Nordic questionnaire. Then, 34 subjects who had reported the highest rate of musculoskeletal disorders were selected as the sample and participated in an exercise program. The program consisted of three 40-60-minute sessions of corrective exercises continued for 8 weeks. After all, the data were entered into the SPSS statistical software (v. 19) and analyzed using Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests.
During the last 12 months, the prevalence rate of musculoskeletal disorders in the target population was 58% in low back, 50% in wrist, 30% in elbow, 20% in upper back, 12% in shoulders, and 12% in neck. The applied corrective exercise program was effective in decreasing the musculoskeletal disorders (P The study findings showed the high prevalence rate of musculoskeletal disorders in rice farmers and suggested that corrective exercises were effective in improvement and reduction of these disorders. This implies that posture examination and use of corrective exercises are necessary and useful for rice farmers.