Systematic Work Environment Model Incorporating Web-based Neck-specific Exercise for Dental Staff With Neck Pain (WorkCIT)
Workplace, Neck Pain, Exercise
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Workplace focused on measuring Neck pain, Workplace, Counseling, Exercise, Internet, Cervical spine
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
For employees:
- Self-reported WRNP lasting at least 4 weeks
- Current neck pain ≥ 3 on the numeric rating scale (Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), 0-10)
- Working age, 18-65 y
- Neck problems clinically verified by clinical examination to ensure study criteria are met
- Answered the baseline questionnaire and attended the first intervention visit
- Completed and signed informed consent, including approval, to contact their immediate supervisor regarding work adaptations.
For managers:
• Being a head/ manager of a dental clinic.
Exclusion Criteria:
Red flags and illness/injury that are contraindicated for or hinder exercise or may be confounding factors for the results including:
- Known pregnancy
- Cannot understand/communicate in Swedish and would be unable to understand information about the study or answer questionnaires.
For blood samples (not wanting to participate does not constitute exclusion from the RCT), the following exclusion criteria are added:
• Increased tendency to bleed and use of blood thinners.
For the microdialysis subgroup (n=30), consecutively asked, 15 persons/group; not wanting to participate does not constitute exclusion from the RCT), the following exclusion criteria are added:
- Cannot imagine refraining from anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) during the 2 days prior to microdialysis
- Hypersensitivity
Sites / Locations
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Active Comparator
Experimental
Managerial support in using systematic work environment evaluation and adjustment (SWEA)
Neck-specific exercise in addition to SWEA
Managerial support in using SWEA and the Prehab guide to enhance employees' work situation. Individual work adaptations are adaptations to everyone´s ability in the physical, organisational, and social work environment that aim to enable an employee with reduced ability to perform the normal work, continue working, or plan for a sustainable return to work. The Prehab guide contains a self-assessment test for the employee based on the requirements of the work and one's own ability that can be used in the dialogue with the manager. It also contains suggestions for activities to create a healthier workplace, such as discovering early signals of stress or pain, creating a caring workplace culture and boundaries, regular contact with an employee that is on sick-leave, clear and established safety procedures and routines for the work environmental work, routines for cooperation with other parties, and to learn from one's own and colleague's experiences in an open, permissive climate.
NSEs will be performed based on a well-structured framework of evidence-based exercises for facilitation of deep neck muscles, improved interaction between the different muscle layers of the neck, increased neck muscle endurance, and improved postural control [15, 30]. To ensure that the exercises are learned and performed correctly, the participant will meet with a physiotherapist a total of four times, once during weeks 2, 3, 4, and 7 (week 1=first visit for a clinical examination due to law) for instruction, guidance, and support. In addition to photos, videos, and text regarding the exercises, the digital support (web-based program at the support and treatment platform Inera via 1177 managed by the County Councils) also contains information about why it is important to exercise the neck muscles, factors that may cause neck pain, how relapses can be handled, ergonomic advice related to the neck, and an exercise diary.