Table 4.
Summary of key associations of sedentary behaviour with musculoskeletal pain conditions by studies quality
| Sedentary Behaviour | MSP Conditions | Cross-Sectional Studies | Prospective Studies | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positive Association | No Association | Negative Association | Positive Association | No Association | Negative Association | ||||||||||||||
| Quality | Quality | Quality | Quality | Quality | Quality | ||||||||||||||
| All | High | Low | All | High | Low | All | High | Low | All | High | Low | All | High | Low | All | High | Low | ||
| Non-occupational sedentary behaviourb | Observational studies | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total SB | LBP | 5 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| LBP-intensity | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Neck/shoulder pain | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Neck/shoulder pain-intensity | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Knee pain | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Arthritis | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Hip pain | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Extremities pain | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| General MSP | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Total SB bout | LBPc | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| LBP-intensityd | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| SBs/TV time | LBP | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| LBP-intensity | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| LBP-disabilitye | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Neck/shoulder pain | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Back/neck pain | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Knee pain | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Extremities pain | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| General MSP | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Leisure-time SB | LBP | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| LBP-intensity | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Neck/shoulder pain | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Neck/shoulder pain-intensity | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Extremities pain | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Occupational sedentary behaviour | Observational studies | ||||||||||||||||||
| Workplace sitting | |||||||||||||||||||
| Device-measured | LBP | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| LBP-intensityf | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Neck/shoulder pain-intensity | 1 g | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Workplace sitting bouta | LBP-intensity | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Self-reported | LBP | 7 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Neck/shoulder pain | 9 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Knee pain | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Extremities pain | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||||
| Computer time | LBP | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Neck/shoulder pain | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| General MSP | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Vehicle time | LBP | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| General MSP | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Occupational sedentary behaviour | Experimental/intervention studies | ||||||||||||||||||
| Changes in sitting time | Randomised controlled trial | Non-randomised controlled trial | |||||||||||||||||
| Sitting reduction | LBP/discomfort | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | |||||||||||
| Neck/shoulder pain/discomfort | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Extremities pain | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||
| General MSP/discomfort | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Prolonged sitting | General MSP/discomfort | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| LBP/discomfort | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Prolonged sitting bout | Extremities pain | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
Numbers in the Table represent the number of studies
LBP: Low back pain, MSP: Musculoskeletal pain, TV: Television-viewing, SB(s): Sedentary behaviour(s) including sitting watching television, video game, reading, listening to music, talking on the phone
aA negative association for a moderate sitting bout and a positive association for a brief bout in the cross-sectional study
bIncluded both self-reported and device-measured occupational SB
cA positive in association obese individuals
dPositive association in normal-weight individuals and a negative association in overweight/obese individuals
eAssociation in females but not in males
fOne study reported no association in construction workers and a negative association in healthcare workers
gLow SB negatively associated with neck/shoulder pain-intensity in men but not women, thus high SB probably increase the risk of neck/shoulder pain-intensity in men