Musculoskeletal conditions are highly prevalent and are highly costly for society. The 2016 Global Burden of Disease Study estimated that musculoskeletal conditions in 2016 were responsible for over 140 million disability adjusted life years (DALYs) worldwide, an increase of over 60% since 19901. An important challenge for people with chronic musculoskeletal conditions is remaining in the work force. For example, it is estimated that musculoskeletal conditions are responsible for as many as 40% of doctor-reported work absence in Norway2, 30% of work absence in Germany3, and 23% of work absence in the UK4.
Back pain is extremely common, and is the leading cause of disability worldwide1. Only a small proportion of back pain can be explained by physical pathologies, while most suffer from “non-specific” causes. The current paradigm is that of the biopsychosocial model, which says that biological-, psychological- and social factors – as well as their interplay – explain the persistence of back pain. For example, disabling back pain is overrepresented in people with comorbidities, are overweight, smoke, have a low socioeconomic status or have low health literacy5.
Pelvic girdle pain is a condition that primarily affects women, and whose aetiology is believed to be multifactorial. The point prevalence of women suffering from pelvic girdle pain is estimated at approximately 20% during pregnancy, falling to 7% in the immediate months post-partum and 1% by two years post-partum6. There appears to be correlation between the severity of pain during pregnancy and pain persistence after two years.
Traditionally, much of the focus on functional loss due to musculoskeletal pain has been on work participation, and on physical aspects of daily function such as walking and exercise7. However, in our modern society, sitting also constitutes a highly important aspect of daily function. Uninterrupted periods of sitting are expected when working and driving, or during recreational activities such as going to a cinema or sports match. Intervention studies seeking to improve “function” as an outcome often employ the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI)8, which seeks to quantify low back pain-related disability, and which includes a question regarding length of time sitting. However, there seems to be little focus on sitting impairments in isolation. Indeed, early testing of the scoping review’s search terms suggests that there is extremely limited literature on this topic.
As such, the aim of this scoping review is to identify the current state of knowledge regarding sitting impairments in people with back pain and/or pelvic girdle pain.