The Effect of Exercise and Ergonomics Training Program on Musculoskeletal Disorders in Teachers

The Effect of Exercise and Ergonomics Training Program on Musculoskeletal Disorders in Teachers: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Comparing the effectiveness of ergonomics and exercise training given to teachers regarding musculoskeletal disorders.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Work-related Injury
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: ergonomics training; Other: ergonomics training + exercise

Detailed Description

This study is planned as a randomized controlled experimental study. The research will be conducted with teachers working in schools affiliated with the Tatvan National Education Directorate. The study will evaluate the effect of a structured exercise program, given in conjunction with ergonomics training, on musculoskeletal disorders compared to the group that received only ergonomics training. The study population consists of teachers working in preschool, primary, secondary, and high school levels who have musculoskeletal disorders.

Pain intensity will be assessed using the Visual Analog Scale . The Oswestry Disability Index will be used to assess functional impairment due to lower back pain, and the Neck Disability Index will be used to assess functional impairment due to neck pain. The distribution and frequency of musculoskeletal symptoms according to body regions will be assessed using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, and the level of burnout will be assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory. All measurement tools will be applied before and after the intervention.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 80
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Ömer ŞEVGİN; Phone Number: +905069787535; Email: omer.sevgin@uskudar.edu.tr

Study Locations

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

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria

• Being between 30-60 years old
• Having been a teacher for at least 5 years
• Having experienced musculoskeletal pain for at least three months
• Being able to participate in the ergonomics training and exercise program planned during the study period

Exclusion Criteria

• Having a pain score below 3 on the Visual Analog scale
• Having a neurological or orthopedic disease that prevents exercise
• Having undergone musculoskeletal surgery within the last six months
• Having a psychological disorder that may prevent exercise

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: control group; Teachers who will receive ergonomics training	Other: ergonomics training; Ergonomics training will be implemented in a total of four sessions, in weeks 1, 4, 8, and 12, and each session will last approximately 30-45 minutes. The training content will cover: posture awareness, classroom work ergonomics, computer and whiteboard use, standing work, lifting and carrying techniques, and ergonomic suggestions for daily life.
Experimental: exercise; Teachers will be given exercises along with ergonomics training.	Other: ergonomics training; Ergonomics training will be implemented in a total of four sessions, in weeks 1, 4, 8, and 12, and each session will last approximately 30-45 minutes. The training content will cover: posture awareness, classroom work ergonomics, computer and whiteboard use, standing work, lifting and carrying techniques, and ergonomic suggestions for daily life.; Other: ergonomics training + exercise; In addition to ergonomics training, participants in the experimental group will undergo a structured exercise program lasting approximately 35-45 minutes a day, 3 days a week, for 12 weeks. The exercise program will consist of stretching, strengthening, posture, and core stabilization exercises targeting the neck, shoulders, back, and lower back, and will be planned to progress in stages.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Maslach Burnout Scale	The scale consists of 22 questions in total. A 5-point Likert scale is used to answer the questions. There are options such as 0- Never, 1- Rarely, 2- Sometimes, 3- Often, 4- Always. Volunteers are asked to tick the appropriate option for each question. The scale has 3 sub-categories. There are 9 items for the emotional exhaustion section, 5 items for the depersonalization section, and 8 items for the personal achievement section. People with high burnout levels are expected to have high scores on the emotional exhaustion section and depersonalization section, and low personal achievement scores. The scores that can be obtained from the subscales range from 0-36 for emotional exhaustion, 0-20 for depersonalization, and 0-32 for personal achievement.	14 weeks
Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire	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
Oswestry Disability Index	The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) is a self-completed questionnaire used to assess the level of disability in patients with low back pain. In the current study, the ODI will be used to evaluate the impact of low back pain on patients' daily lives.The survey consists of ten sections focusing on different aspects of daily life, such as pain severity, personal care, weight lifting, walking, sitting, standing, sleep, sexual function, social life, and travel. Each section contains six statements scored from 0 to 5; The first expression is zero, indicating no disability. The scores of all questions are summed and then multiplied by two to obtain an index ranging from 0 to 100. The higher the score, the greater the disability.	14 weeks
Neck Disability Index	it consist of 10 questions in total, including ones about pain intensity, personal care, lifting, reading, headaches, driving, concentration, work, sleeping, and recreation Each item is scored from 0 (no disability) to 5 (total disability)	14 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Uskudar University
• Investigators: Study Chair: Muharrem AKAR, Uskudar University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Furuta DT, Tebar WR, Beretta VS, Tebar FG, de Carvalho AC, Leoci IC, Delfino LD, Ferrari G, Silva CCM, Christofaro DGD. Analysis of the association between high workload and musculoskeletal pain in public school teachers according to physical activity level. Work. 2024;78(1):111-117. doi: 10.3233/WOR-230474.
• de Souza JM, Tebar WR, Delfino LD, Tebar FSG, Gobbo LA, Franco M, da Silva CCM, Oliveira CBS, Christofaro DGD. Association of Musculoskeletal Pain With Sedentary Behavior in Public School Teachers: The Role of Habitual Physical Activity. Pain Manag Nurs. 2023 Apr;24(2):196-200. doi: 10.1016/j.pmn.2022.08.005. Epub 2022 Sep 11.
• Jahre H, Guddal MH, Grasaas E, Smedbraten K, Riiser K, Pripp AH, Grotle M, Oiestad BE. The Effectiveness of School-Based Interventions on Pain and Disability Outcomes in Adolescents With Persistent Pain. A Systematic Review. Eur J Pain. 2025 Sep;29(8):e70101. doi: 10.1002/ejp.70101.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 15, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 25, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 25, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): March 2, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 3, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 2, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena; Technology, Industry, and Agriculture; Engineering; Exercise; Ergonomics
• Other Study ID Numbers: Uskudar92

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