Antecedents of work related musculoskeletal disorders in software professionals

摘要

In this paper, the present Indian burden of work related musculoskeletal disorders are studied. Adult musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) such as neck and low back pain have been widely reported as being of significant health and economic concern due to increased globalisation and industrial advancements. This study is an attempt to find whether these disorders are also prevalent amongst Indian software professionals. The paper also reveals the role of gender differences in MSD. Neck pain is found to be the most prevalent pain. Posture, body fatigue, hours of computer usage and lack of ergonomic knowledge etc. are found to be causal factors determining work related MSD. A total of 355 software professionals were studied and the research draws conclusion that it is important to have conscientisation about the changing world and the increased need for ergonomics interventions in today's work places.