Postural Awareness and Musculoskeletal Complaints

NCT07716501 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 2026/05-1909
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 212
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Musculoskeletal complaints are common among working adults and reflect demographic, occupational, ergonomic, and lifestyle-related influences. Whether postural awareness is associated with musculoskeletal complaints beyond these factors remains unclear. This study examined whether postural awareness was independently associated with the number of symptomatic body regions and regional musculoskeletal complaints among working adults. In this cross-sectional study, 212 working adults completed the Postural Awareness Scale (PAS), Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire, International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and questionnaires assessing demographic characteristics, occupational factors, perceived workplace ergonomics, and regular exercise. The primary outcome was the number of symptomatic body regions. Hierarchical Poisson regression with robust standard errors was used to assess the association between postural awareness and the primary outcome after sequential covariate adjustment. Generalized Poisson regression was performed as a sensitivity analysis. Prespecified robust logistic regression models examined neck, upper-back, lower-back, and shoulder complaints, with Holm correction for multiple comparisons.

Conditions

Posture; Musculoskeletal Complication; Worker Health

Keywords

Postural awareness; Musculoskeletal complaints; Physical activity; Occupational health

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Musculoskeletal complaints

  Musculoskeletal complaints during the preceding working week were assessed using the validated Turkish version of the Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ). The CMDQ assesses the frequency, severity, and work interference associated with musculoskeletal discomfort across different anatomical regions. The Turkish version has demonstrated satisfactory construct validity and test-retest reliability in working adults. For each anatomical region, the weighted CMDQ score was calculated as the product of the frequency, discomfort-severity, and work-interference scores. Higher weighted scores indicate more frequent or severe discomfort and greater interference with work. A regional complaint was defined a priori as a weighted CMDQ score greater than zero. The primary outcome was the numbe

  At baseline

• Postural awareness

  Postural awareness was assessed using the validated Turkish version of the Postural Awareness Scale (PAS). The original PAS was developed to assess two related dimensions: ease or familiarity with postural awareness and the need for attention regulation to achieve postural awareness. The resulting Turkish PAS comprises 11 items rated on a seven-point Likert scale and has demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency and test-retest reliability among Turkish office workers. After reverse-scoring the relevant items, item scores were summed to obtain a total score ranging from 11 to 77. Higher scores indicate greater self-reported postural awareness. The total PAS score was analysed as a continuous variable. For clinical and statistical interpretability, regression estimates were reported per 10-point increase in the PAS score.

  At baseline

Study Arms (1)

Working adults

Participants were recruited through convenience sampling.

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Participants were recruited through convenience sampling. Eligible participants were adults aged ≥18 years who were currently employed, had maintained the same predominant working pattern for at least six months, worked at least six hours per day, and were able to understand and complete the Turkish-language questionnaires. Individuals were excluded if they reported an inflammatory rheumatic disease, fibromyalgia or another chronic widespread pain disorder, a neurological disorder, major musculoskeletal surgery during the preceding six months, acute musculoskeletal trauma, continuous use of analgesics, muscle relaxants, or systemic corticosteroids, pregnancy, professional-level sports participation, or a diagnosed severe postural deformity. These criteria were intended to reduce the potential influence of health conditions or exposures that could substantially alter musculoskeletal symptoms or postural awareness independently of occupational factors. Eligibility was reassessed before a

You may qualify if:

• Adults aged ≥18 years who were currently employed
• Had maintained the same predominant working pattern for at least six months
• Worked at least six hours per day
• Were able to understand and complete the Turkish-language questionnaires.

You may not qualify if:

• an inflammatory disease, fibromyalgia or another chronic widespread pain disorder, a neurological disorder, major musculoskeletal surgery during the preceding six months
• acute musculoskeletal trauma
• continuous use of analgesics, muscle relaxants, or systemic corticosteroids
• pregnancy
• professional-level sports participation
• a diagnosed severe postural deformity.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Recep Tayyip Erdogan University: lead
• İstanbul Yeni Yüzyıl Üniversitesi: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

IYYU

Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Research Assistant Dr.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 16, 2026
• First Posted: July 21, 2026
• Study Start: May 15, 2026
• Primary Completion: July 5, 2026
• Study Completion: July 5, 2026
• Last Updated: July 21, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)