Evaluation of Ergonomic Risks and the Effect of Patient Education on Musculoskeletal Complaints, Posture and Breathing Awareness in Bank Employees

April 13, 2026 updated by: Mizgin Duygu, Uskudar University

Evaluation of Ergonomic Risks and the Effect of Patient Education and Breathing Exercises on Musculoskeletal Complaints, Posture, Ergonomic Awareness and Breathing Awareness in Bank Employees

This study aims to evaluate ergonomic risks among bank office employees and to investigate the effects of patient education and breathing exercises on musculoskeletal complaints, posture, ergonomic awareness and breathing awareness. Office workers often experience musculoskeletal problems due to prolonged sitting, poor posture and repetitive computer-based work. In this study, participants will be assessed using standardized questionnaires and ergonomic assessment methods before and after a eight-week intervention program. The intervention includes ergonomic education and breathing exercises delivered by a physiotherapist. The results of the study are expected to provide evidence on the effectiveness of ergonomic education and breathing exercises in improving musculoskeletal health and posture awareness among office workers.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Musculoskeletal complaints such as neck and low back pain are frequently observed among office workers due to prolonged sitting, poor posture and repetitive computer use. Bank employees spend a large portion of their working hours in sedentary positions, which may increase the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. Ergonomic risk factors, lack of physical activity and poor posture awareness may contribute to these health problems.

The aim of this study is to evaluate ergonomic risk factors among bank employees and to examine the effects of ergonomic education and breathing exercises on musculoskeletal complaints, ergonomic knowledge, posture awareness and breathing awareness. The study includes office employees aged between 20 and 55 years who work at a desk for at least four hours per day.

Participants will be randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. Baseline measurements will include demographic information, pain intensity assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), ergonomic risk assessment using Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) and Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA), musculoskeletal complaints using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, posture awareness using the Postural Awareness Scale (PAS) and breathing awareness using the Nijmegen Questionnaire.

The intervention group will receive ergonomic education and breathing exercise training supervised by a physiotherapist for eight weeks. Sessions will be conducted twice per week using video-based exercise guidance and online conferencing. The control group will receive no intervention and will only undergo baseline and follow-up assessments.

All participants will be evaluated at baseline and after eight weeks. The results of the study will be analyzed to determine the effectiveness of ergonomic education and breathing exercises in reducing musculoskeletal complaints and improving posture and breathing awareness among bank office employees.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

62

Phase

  • 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 Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye), 34662
        • Uskudar University, Faculty of Health Sciences

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged between 20 and 55 years
  • Working at a desk job
  • Using a computer for at least 4 hours per day
  • Employed in the same job for at least 6 months
  • Voluntarily agreeing to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of musculoskeletal injury, trauma or surgery affecting the head, neck, back, shoulder, arm, leg or hand
  • Pregnancy
  • Presence of any medical condition affecting the musculoskeletal system
  • Regular use of analgesic medication
  • Diagnosis of psychiatric disorders

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
Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control Group
This group will not receive any active intervention, including respiratory exercises, ergonomic training, or patient education during the study period. Participants will only undergo baseline (pre-test) and follow-up (post-test) assessments.
Experimental: Intervention Group
Participants in this arm will complete a 8-week multimodal intervention program supervised by a physical therapist, delivered twice weekly via synchronous video conferencing and video based modules. The program integrates individualized ergonomic education, informed by baseline ROSA and RULA risk assessments to optimize workstation setups, with a structured respiratory exercise protocol designed to enhance postural and breathing awareness. Each 30-40 minute session focuses on mitigating musculoskeletal strain and improving thoracic mobility. Clinical outcomes, including pain, postural and respiratory awareness , and ergonomic knowledge, will be reassessed at the end of the 8-week period to evaluate efficacy relative to baseline.
Behavioral: Ergonomic Education
Educational sessions designed to increase awareness about workplace ergonomics, correct sitting posture and proper workstation setup for office workers.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Musculoskeletal Pain Intensity
Time Frame: Baseline and 8 weeks

Musculoskeletal pain intensity will be assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS).

Participants rate their pain on a scale from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst possible pain).
Baseline and 8 weeks
Ergonomic Risk Level
Time Frame: Baseline and 8 weeks
Ergonomic risk will be assessed using the Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA) method to evaluate workstation ergonomics and office-related risk factors.
Baseline and 8 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Upper Limb Ergonomic Risk
Time Frame: Baseline and 8 weeks
Upper limb ergonomic risk will be assessed using the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) method.
Baseline and 8 weeks
Musculoskeletal Symptoms
Time Frame: Baseline and 8 weeks
Musculoskeletal complaints will be evaluated using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire.
Baseline and 8 weeks
Postural Awareness
Time Frame: Baseline and 8 weeks
Postural awareness will be assessed using the Postural Awareness Scale (PAS).
Baseline and 8 weeks
Breathing Awareness
Time Frame: Baseline and 8 weeks
Breathing awareness will be assessed using the Nijmegen Questionnaire.
Baseline and 8 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Uskudar University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Mert Ilhan, MSc., Uskudar University
  • Study Director: Filiz Eyuboglu, PhD, Uskudar University
  • Principal Investigator: Tuba Kolaylı Çerezci, MSc., Uskudar University
  • Principal Investigator: Mizgin Duygu, PT., Uskudar University

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)

November 24, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

January 19, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

March 6, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 15, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 15, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

March 19, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 16, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 13, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • MIZRCT26

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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