Ndahiriwe Christian Chance, Bucyana Emmy, Nshimiyimana Jacques, Hakizimana Moussa, Assuman Nuhu, Urimubenshi Gerard, Uwayezu Donat, Semana Jean Marie Vianney, Rukundo Jean De Dieu, Rajadurai Raja Raja, Tuyizere Malachie, Jayavel Ayyappan
Physiotherapy, School of Health Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Remera Campus, Rwanda.
Preventive and Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.
Rwanda J Med Health Sci. 2025 Mar 31;8(1):89-99. doi: 10.4314/rjmhs.v8i1.7. eCollection 2025 Mar.
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among dentists have greatly increased since the Industrial Revolution. Self-management interventions, including exercises, have been proven to be effective. The of the study was to determine the effectiveness of physiotherapy-based ergonomic and postural correction on disability and performance among dental practitioners.
A Randomized Controlled Trial study design was conducted among 30 dental practitioners and students from Sri-Ramaswami Memorial (SRM) Dental College, who reported Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders. The Experimental group followed the Posturite protocol and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) exercise protocols. The control group was exposed to routine regular exercises of their choice for at least 30 minutes, three times per week. The Neck Disability Index (NDI), Upper Extremity Function Index (UEFI), and Rolland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) were administered as outcome measures.
The experimental group improved the symptoms of the neck, upper limb, and lower back than their control counterparts in paired t-tests where there was a high statistical improvement in both experimental and control groups with t=7, p≤0.001 and t=6, p≤0.01 respectively. On other outcomes UEFI and RMDQ the experimental group had a high statistical significance with UEFI -5, p≤0.001; RMDQ 13, p≤0.001. For the same outcomes, the control group was the least favored as it had t=-3, p≤0.05 and t=4, p≤0.05 on UEFI and RMDQ respectively.
Ergonomics and postural correction education interventions can be effective in the management of work-related musculoskeletal disorders.
自工业革命以来，牙医中与工作相关的肌肉骨骼疾病大幅增加。包括锻炼在内的自我管理干预措施已被证明是有效的。本研究的目的是确定基于物理治疗的人体工程学和姿势矫正对牙科从业者残疾和工作表现的有效性。
对来自斯里 - 拉马什瓦米纪念（SRM）牙科学院的30名报告患有与工作相关肌肉骨骼疾病的牙科从业者和学生进行了随机对照试验研究设计。实验组遵循Posturite方案和加利福尼亚大学洛杉矶分校（UCLA）的锻炼方案。对照组进行他们选择的常规锻炼，每周至少三次，每次30分钟。采用颈部残疾指数（NDI）、上肢功能指数（UEFI）和罗兰·莫里斯残疾问卷（RMDQ）作为结果指标。
在配对t检验中，实验组在颈部、上肢和下背部症状改善方面优于对照组，实验组和对照组均有高度统计学改善，t值分别为7，p≤0.001和t值为6，p≤0.01。在其他结果UEFI和RMDQ方面，实验组具有高度统计学意义，UEFI为 -5，p≤0.001；RMDQ为13，p≤0.001。对于相同结果，对照组最不理想，在UEFI和RMDQ上t值分别为 -3，p≤0.05和t值为4，p≤0.05。
人体工程学和姿势矫正教育干预措施在管理与工作相关的肌肉骨骼疾病方面可能是有效的。
