Prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms from online learning during the COVID-19 epidemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: The objective of this research was to assess the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms in online students.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed by searching the PubMed, Cochrane Library, SCOPUS, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, CINAHL plus with full text, and Wiley InterScience databases. A total of 3,749 studies were identified between January 2020 and December 2023. The Joanna Briggs Tool for studies reporting prevalence was used to assess the quality of studies. Jamovi 2.4 was used in the meta-analysis.

RESULTS

Sixteen studies were included and used for the meta-analysis. The average age of participants was 22 years, with an age range of 17-45 years, Sample range 120-3,705. There were 6 studies of high quality, 9 studies of medium quality and 1 study of low quality. The areas with the highest prevalence of musculoskeletal pain were the neck (51%, 95% CI = 36-66%, I 2 = 99.96), lower back (51%, 95% CI = 42-59%, I 2 = 99.96) and shoulder (36%, 95% CI = 26-47%, I 2 = 99.61).

CONCLUSIONS

The shift to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has emerged as a potential factor influencing musculoskeletal pain in students. Educational institutions should study the duration of online learning that begins to impact student injury outcomes.