Abstract

Background

To date, no studies have investigated the relationship between one’s dominant hand and neck/shoulder pain. The aim of this prospective cohort study was to explore the relationship between one’s dominant hand and the severity of neck/shoulder pain. We also examined the relationship between the dominant hand and the onset of neck/shoulder pain at follow-up among workers without neck/shoulder pain at baseline.

Methods

We conducted a prospective cohort study of 9451 workers. The dominant hand was measured by 10 items from the Japanese version of the Flanders Questionnaire at the baseline survey. We assessed neck/shoulder pain using a numeric rating scale. We calculated the unstandardized coefficient (B) using multiple regression analysis and the incidence rate ratio (IRR) for neck/shoulder pain using modified Poisson regression among workers who were free of neck/shoulder pain at baseline.

Results

Among the 9451 respondents for the baseline survey, 6156 responded to the follow-up survey (response rate: 65.1%). Mixed-handed workers reported a higher degree of neck/shoulder pain than right-handed workers (B, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.09-0.58). Among 2481 participants, mixed-handed workers also had a higher IRR for neck/shoulder pain (IRR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.01-1.61). There was no difference in any of the left-handers compared with the right-handers.

Conclusions

The study found that mixed-handed workers had higher levels of neck/shoulder pain than right-handed workers, and the incidence rate was also higher among mixed-handed workers. Employers should consider these findings when designing work environments, managing tasks, and providing occupational health training to optimize worker comfort and safety.

Details

Title
The relationship between the dominant hand and neck/shoulder pain in the workplace: a prospective cohort study
Author
Ogawa, Yukiko 1 ; Nagata, Tomohisa 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Odagami, Kiminori 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Ebara, Takeshi 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Nakatani, Junko 1 ; Mori, Koji 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Department of Occupational Health Nursing, School of Occupational Health Science, University of Occupational and Environmental Health , Japan, Kitakyushu, Japan 
 Department of Occupational Health Practice and Management, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health , Japan, Kitakyushu, Japan 
 Department of Ergonomics, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health , Japan, Kitakyushu, Japan 
Publication year
2025
Publication date
Jan-Dec 2025
Publisher
Oxford University Press
ISSN
13419145
e-ISSN
13489585
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3254063136
Copyright
© The Author(s) [2025]. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Japan Society for Occupational Health. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.