Exercise Participation and Clinical Characteristics of Desk-Based Workers with Chronic Non-Specific Neck Pain Exposed to Increased Ergonomic Risk: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background and

Objectives

Chronic non-specific neck pain (CNNP) is common among desk-based workers exposed to increased ergonomic risk and is accompanied by functional impairments. This study examined associations between exercise participation and pain intensity, upper-extremity disability, body awareness, and perceived sagittal trunk appearance in this population. Materials and

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 250 of 512 screened desk-based workers with CNNP, pain severity ≥4/10, and a Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) score ≥ 3/7. Physical activity, upper-extremity disability, body awareness, perceived sagittal trunk appearance, and ergonomic risk were assessed using the IPAQ-SF, QuickDASH, Body Awareness Rating Questionnaire (BARQ), KyphoTAPS, and a video-call-based RULA.

Results

Participants reporting exercise participation had lower QuickDASH scores (p = 0.003, d = -0.42) and higher BARQ total scores (p = 0.023, d = 0.33) than non-exercisers. BARQ function and awareness scores were higher in this group (p = 0.004 and p = 0.033), while pain severity, perceived sagittal trunk appearance, and ergonomic risk were similar between groups. QuickDASH scores were positively correlated with pain severity (rho = 0.636-0.727) and negatively correlated with BARQ total scores (rho = -0.477). RULA scores showed a weak positive correlation with general neck pain (rho = 0.288) (FDR-adjusted p < 0.002). Exploratory adjusted analyses showed that participants reporting regular exercise participation had lower QuickDASH and higher BARQ total scores than non-exercisers in all models. Participants reporting low-frequency exercise participation had lower QuickDASH scores than non-exercisers only in Model 4.

Conclusions

Self-reported exercise participation may be associated with lower QuickDASH scores and higher BARQ total scores in desk-based workers with CNNP and increased ergonomic risk. Because maintaining consistent exercise participation can be challenging in occupational settings, future studies should investigate feasible exercise strategies to address pain-related, functional, and perceptual outcomes among occupational populations exposed to prolonged ergonomic loading.