Occupational Therapy Interventions Added To Reformer Pilates Exercises In Office Workers

NCT ID: NCT07244692

Last Updated: 2025-12-09

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 20 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2023-08-08
• Study Completion Date: 2024-05-29

Brief Summary

As computer use continues to increase, work-related musculoskeletal disorders have become a major health concern among individuals working in office environments. A lack of awareness regarding the risks of working in ergonomically unsuitable conditions contributes to the development of musculoskeletal problems due to prolonged incorrect posture. Ergonomically inadequate work environments have been reported to negatively affect employee well-being, increase musculoskeletal symptoms, and reduce work performance by affecting motivation, concentration, and other individual factors. Studies indicate that productivity losses in such conditions may range from 2.4 percent to 14.8 percent. To prevent musculoskeletal problems, reduce pain, and improve quality of life in office workers, it is recommended that the ergonomic quality of the work environment be improved and that employees be encouraged to participate in exercise programs.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of occupational therapy interventions added to reformer Pilates exercises in office workers. Occupational therapy interventions include ergonomic training, strategies to increase physical activity levels, and meaningful activities planned specifically for each participant. To date, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have examined the effectiveness of combining occupational therapy interventions with reformer Pilates exercises in individuals working in office settings.

It is anticipated that the integration of person-centered occupational therapy interventions with reformer Pilates exercises will lead to improvements in fatigue, burnout, and musculoskeletal symptoms, as well as enhanced quality of life in participants. In addition, occupational therapy interventions may reduce absenteeism resulting from musculoskeletal problems. Consequently, it is expected that healthcare costs may decrease while workplace productivity and efficiency may increase.

Detailed Description

Offices are environments where repetitive movements such as writing and prolonged screen use are common, often leading to poor posture, high levels of inactivity, and intensive engagement in administrative tasks. Since the mid-1980s, with the beginning of the information age, the use of computers in the workplace has increased substantially. Desktop computers, laptops, and tablets have become essential tools for communication and project management.

For office workers who spend a significant portion of their day working at a computer, the excessive load placed on the musculoskeletal system has become an important occupational ergonomics issue, contributing to the development of various musculoskeletal disorders. Risk factors related to repetitive tasks, continuous work, and poor posture are widely recognized as ergonomic risk factors.

Increasing evidence indicates that working in an ergonomically inadequate office environment can lead to musculoskeletal problems, negatively affect employee well-being, and reduce work productivity. Inadequate environmental conditions in office settings are often described as environmental stressors. Elements that determine the quality of the office environment include temperature, humidity, noise, vibration, colors, lighting, and air quality.

It has been suggested that improving factors that determine office environment quality may reduce the number of days employees take off work due to discomfort, enhance productivity, decrease stress by improving motivation, and ultimately support cost savings for organizations.

Ergonomic risk assessment approaches highlight that improper posture in office workers may result from shortcomings in workspace design or improper use of body mechanics by employees. Knowledge and awareness of ergonomics are considered protective in preventing musculoskeletal problems. Ergonomic interventions combined with principles from occupational health and safety, organizational psychology, and sociology may help better understand occupational behaviors and support workplace well-being.

In addition to ergonomic conditions, individual factors such as gender, age, education level, lifestyle habits, smoking, duration of employment, obesity, lack of exercise, and poor physical fitness also contribute to musculoskeletal disorders.

To prevent musculoskeletal problems, reduce pain, and improve quality of life in the increasing number of office workers, it is recommended to optimize workplace ergonomics and encourage employees to participate in exercise programs. Exercise-based physiotherapy approaches in office workers have been shown to reduce musculoskeletal pain symptoms and improve quality of life. Office workers who regularly engage in exercise programs generally report better overall well-being compared to those who do not.

Conditions

Occupational Therapy; Office Workers; Pilates Exercise

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Reformer Pilates Only Group

Participants in the Reformer Pilates Only Group will receive a standard reformer Pilates exercise program under the supervision of a physiotherapist for four weeks. The program will consist of eight sessions, performed twice a week.

Each session will last 50 minutes and will include the following components:

5 minutes of standard reformer Pilates warm-up exercises, 40 minutes of reformer Pilates exercises, 5 minutes of cool-down exercises. The exercise intensity will be progressively increased throughout the program as follows: Week 1: 8-10 repetitions, Week 2: 10-12 repetitions, Weeks 3 and 4: 12-15 repetitions.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Reformer Pilates

Intervention Type: OTHER

Participants in the Reformer Pilates Only Group will receive a standard reformer Pilates exercise program under the supervision of a physiotherapist for four weeks. The program will consist of eight sessions, performed twice a week.

Each session will last 50 minutes and will include the following components: 5 minutes of standard reformer Pilates warm-up exercises, 40 minutes of reformer Pilates exercises, 5 minutes of cool-down exercises.

The exercise intensity will be progressively increased throughout the program as follows: Week 1: 8-10 repetitions, Week 2: 10-12 repetitions, Weeks 3 and 4: 12-15 repetitions.

Occupational Therapy + Reformer Pilates Group

Participants in this group will complete the same standard reformer Pilates exercise program as the comparison group. In addition, they will receive an individualized occupational therapy-based intervention program.

The occupational therapy-based intervention program will be planned individually for each participant at the beginning of the study, based on occupations identified through the Canadian Activity Performance Scale. This program will include interventions designed to support the achievement of personalized goals in occupational performance areas such as improving ergonomic conditions in the office environment, activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, leisure activities, and social participation.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Reformer Pilates

Intervention Type: OTHER

Participants in the Reformer Pilates Only Group will receive a standard reformer Pilates exercise program under the supervision of a physiotherapist for four weeks. The program will consist of eight sessions, performed twice a week.

Each session will last 50 minutes and will include the following components: 5 minutes of standard reformer Pilates warm-up exercises, 40 minutes of reformer Pilates exercises, 5 minutes of cool-down exercises.

The exercise intensity will be progressively increased throughout the program as follows: Week 1: 8-10 repetitions, Week 2: 10-12 repetitions, Weeks 3 and 4: 12-15 repetitions.

Occupational Therapy

Intervention Type: OTHER

Participants will receive an individualized occupational therapy-based intervention program.The occupational therapy-based intervention program will be planned individually for each participant at the beginning of the study, based on occupations identified through the Canadian Activity Performance Scale. This program will include interventions designed to support the achievement of personalized goals in occupational performance areas such as improving ergonomic conditions in the office environment, activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, leisure activities, and social participation.

Interventions

Reformer Pilates

Participants in the Reformer Pilates Only Group will receive a standard reformer Pilates exercise program under the supervision of a physiotherapist for four weeks. The program will consist of eight sessions, performed twice a week.

Each session will last 50 minutes and will include the following components: 5 minutes of standard reformer Pilates warm-up exercises, 40 minutes of reformer Pilates exercises, 5 minutes of cool-down exercises.

The exercise intensity will be progressively increased throughout the program as follows: Week 1: 8-10 repetitions, Week 2: 10-12 repetitions, Weeks 3 and 4: 12-15 repetitions.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Occupational Therapy

Participants will receive an individualized occupational therapy-based intervention program.The occupational therapy-based intervention program will be planned individually for each participant at the beginning of the study, based on occupations identified through the Canadian Activity Performance Scale. This program will include interventions designed to support the achievement of personalized goals in occupational performance areas such as improving ergonomic conditions in the office environment, activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, leisure activities, and social participation.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Being between the ages of 18 and 50,
• Having worked full-time at a desk job for at least 6 months,
• Being classified as sedentary according to the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire,
• Not having previously participated in occupational therapy intervention,
• Ability to understand, speak, and write Turkish,
• Ability to understand verbal and written information provided,
• Volunteer status.

Exclusion Criteria

• Working in a role outside the scope of office work (e.g., kitchen, cleaning, etc.),
• Having undergone surgery related to the musculoskeletal system within the last 6 months,
• The presence of any clinical or orthopedic condition that may limit the performance of Reformer Pilates exercises (malignancies, infections, inflammatory diseases, severe osteoporosis, metabolic bone diseases, pregnancy, cognitive impairment, nerve root compression, history of spinal surgery, etc.).

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 50 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Pamukkale University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Raziye Şavkın

Assoc. Prof.

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Raziye Şavkın, Assoc. Prof.

Role: STUDY_CHAIR

Pamukkale University

Gülden Önal, PT

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Pamukkale University

Locations

Pamukkale University

Denizli, , Turkey (Türkiye)

Countries

Turkey (Türkiye)

Other Identifiers

E-60116787-020-380663

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id