Standing for too long at work is associated with low back and leg symptoms, according to a recent systematic review, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
The review was conducted to get a better understanding of recent initiatives that encourage office workers to use sit-stand desks and, more generally, encourage intermittent standing in working environments where employees may be sitting for long hours.
Forty-nine studies on occupational standing and musculoskeletal symptoms were selected for the review, from more than 11,000 articles screened. Detrimental associations were found between ‘substantial occupational standing’ and low back and lower extremity symptoms. However, significant associations were not found with upper extremity symptoms.