The effect of over-commitment and reward on trapezius muscle activity and shoulder, head, neck, and torso postures during computer use in the field.

Background: Because of reported associations of psychosocial factors and computer related musculoskeletal symptoms, we investigated the effects of a workplace psychosocial factor, reward, in the presence of over-commitment, on trapezius muscle activity and shoulder, head, neck, and torso postures during computer use.

Methods: We measured 120 office workers across four groups (lowest/highest reward/over-commitment), performing their own computer work at their own workstations over a 2-hr period.

Results: Median trapezius muscle activity (P = 0.04) and median neck flexion (P = 0.03) were largest for participants reporting simultaneously low reward and high over-commitment. No differences were observed for other muscle activities or postures.

Conclusions: These data suggest that the interaction of reward and over-commitment can affect upper extremity muscle activity and postures during computer use in the real work environment. This finding aligns with the hypothesized biomechanical pathway connecting workplace psychosocial factors and musculoskeletal symptoms of the neck and shoulder.