Assessment of Muscle Fatigue and Potential Health Risk of Low Back Pain Among Call Center Workers

The aims of this study were to investigate muscle fatigue and the risk of low back pain (LBP) development among call center workers. Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaires (CMDQ), and used with Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA) for prediction of LBP development in a risk matrix. Muscle fatigue was measured by electromyography. Workers had a moderate to high level of ergonomic risk according to ROSA. 43.3% of workers had muscular discomfort. The potential risk level of LBP development was found to be moderate for 23.4% and high for 20.0%. The risk scores of LBP development significantly correlated with discomfort levels (r = 0.914). Electromyogram measurements indicated that over 80% of workers had muscle fatigue on the lower back. Workers at high ergonomic risk were more likely to have muscle fatigue than those at lower risk. These methods of risk assessment could be applied to identify muscle fatigue and LBP development among similar groups.