Notebook Riser Could Prevent Neck Pain: A Superiority, Non‐Randomized Controlled Trial Among Office‐Based Mining Workers in Indonesia

Work-related neck pain (WRNP) is a common condition among office workers, especially workers who use computers on a daily basis, and it can affect workers and company’s productivity. One of potential intervention to prevent the pain is using notebook riser and external keyboard. This study aimed to assess the preventive effect of using notebook risers and external keyboards on neck pain among office workers. This was a superiority, non-randomized control study assigning two groups: workers with and without notebook risers. Both groups received education session on ergonomic position. We assessed if they had neck pain complaints every day from Day-0 to Day-10, using Nordic Body Map. We also assessed their ergonomic risk at Day-0 and asked them information on demographics, job characteristics, and personal habits. After adjustment to age, gender, occupational characteristics, and personal habits, risk of neck pain was statistically significantly lower among workers using notebook risers than those without notebook riser (aRR=0.19; 95%CI=0.04-0.89; p=0.030) and those with lower ergonomic risk (aRR=0.157, 95% CI 0.03-0.83, p=0.03). Using notebook riser as a workplace-based intervention can improve workers’ ergonomic and prevent neck pain.