The Effect of Ergonomics and Exercise Training on Musculoskeletal Disorders in Female Dairy Farmers

March 2, 2026 updated by: Doç.Dr.Ömer Şevgin, Uskudar University

The Effect of Ergonomics and Exercise Training on Musculoskeletal Disorders in Female Dairy Farmers: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The aim of this research is to comparatively examine the effects of ergonomics training and the combined application of ergonomics and structured exercise training on work-related musculoskeletal disorders in female farmers actively engaged in milking.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The study will assign female farmers actively engaged in milking to two groups using a simple randomization method: a control group (ergonomics training) and an experimental group (ergonomics and exercise training). The control group will receive standard ergonomics training aimed at reducing ergonomic risk factors encountered during milking. The experimental group will receive the same ergonomics training as the control group, plus a structured exercise program consisting of stretching, strengthening, and posture exercises. The exercise program will be planned based on progressive loading principles, muscle group-specific exercise selection, set-repetition arrangement, and standardization of rest intervals. The intervention period is 12 weeks, with exercises performed 3 days a week. All participants will be evaluated before and after the intervention using the Visual Analog Scale, Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Short Form, all within the same assessment protocol.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
60

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Tatvan
      • Bitlis, Tatvan, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Recruiting
        • Tatvan
        • Contact:
          • Muharrem AKAR
          • Phone Number: +905075850626

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria

  • Having been actively engaged in farming for at least 5 years
  • Being between 25-50 years of age
  • Being female
  • Having the physical ability to participate in the planned training and exercise program during the study period

Exclusion Criteria

  • Having any accompanying neurological disease or neurological dysfunction
  • Having a history of any musculoskeletal surgery
  • Having a serious systemic disease that may prevent the implementation of the study protocol

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: control group
only the group that will receive ergonomics training
Other: ergonomics
The control group will be given standard ergonomics training which includes proper body mechanics, correct working posture and musculoskeletal protection principles during milking.
Experimental: exercise group
The group will receive exercises along with ergonomics training.
Other: ergonomics
The control group will be given standard ergonomics training which includes proper body mechanics, correct working posture and musculoskeletal protection principles during milking.
Other: exercise
The exercise group will receive the same ergonomics training as well as a structured exercise program consisting of stretching, strengthening and posture exercises. The exercise program will be planned to last three days a week for a total of 12 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire
Time Frame: 14 weeks
It is a scale used to determine the extent of pain in the musculoskeletal system. The purpose of this questionnaire is to identify and compare pain and complaints in parts of the body. There is an image showing the 9 parts of the body included in the questionnaire. These body parts; neck, shoulders, back, elbows, hands, waist, hips, knees and feet. The respondents are asked whether they have experienced problems such as pain and discomfort in their body parts in the last 12 months, in the last 4 weeks, and on the day of the assessment, and they are asked to mark this as yes or no.
14 weeks
QuickDASH
Time Frame: 14 weeks
QuickDASH score of the mobility of the arm, shoulder, hand and its function by using the QuickDASH questionnaire. The QuickDASH is scored in two components: the disability/symptom section (11 items, scored 1-5) and the optional high performance sport/music or work modules (4 items, scored 1-5). A higher score indicates greater disability.
14 weeks
Beck Depression Inventory
Time Frame: 14 weeks
The Beck Depression Inventory is a 21-question multiple-choice self-report inventory for measuring the severity of depression. Higher total scores indicate more severe depressive symptoms. The range of scores vary from 0 to 63 (highest possible total) for the whole test. A score of 0 - 10 indicates minimal depression, while a score of over 40 indicates extreme depression. No subscales were used for this outcome.
14 weeks
World Health Organization Quality of Life (Brief)
Time Frame: 14 weeks
The World Health Organization Quality of Life brief is a 16 item quality of life scale covering four domains of QOL. Each item is scored from 1-5 with higher response employing a higher quality of life.
14 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Uskudar University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Chair: Muharrem AKAR, Uskudar University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 30, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
August 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 25, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 25, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 2, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 3, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 2, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Uskudar94

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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