Association of Low Back Pain and Fatigue Among Office Workers: A Systematic Review

Lower back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of work disability and dayoff requests. Studies have shown that sedentary jobs will champion sedentary behaviours that can increase the risk of LBP development. Several studies confirm the association of posture and different sitting habits with tiredness and fatigue. While studies have been done to understand mental and physical fatigue and LBP separately, limited specific research considers the association between fatigue and LBP in office workers. This systematic review highlights the studies that have found an association between fatigue and LBP in office workers. This study follows the guidelines for systematic reviews as stated in the PRISMA methodology. Four databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Science Direct) were chosen for the search. The total number of articles included for screening in this study was 1427. Twenty-three articles were identified as relevant to the objective of this study. Different methods to measure fatigue among office workers were identified and reported. A comparison was made between such methods in terms of frequency. The study concluded that office workers could benefit from fatigue-reducing techniques to prevent LBP development.