Baseline and postintervention means of outcome variables by study group
| Outcome variable | Intervention group baseline means (n=56) (95% CI) | Intervention group postintervention means (n=56) (95% CI) | Control group baseline means (n=53) (95% CI) | Control group postintervention means (n=53) (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regional pain severity | ||||
| Dominant proximal UE | 1.3 (1.0 to 1.6) | 0.7 (0.4 to 1.0)* | 1.5 (1.2 to 1.8) | 1.0 (0.7 to 1.3)* |
| Non-dominant proximal UE | 1.4 (1.1 to 1.7) | 0.8 (0.5 to 1.2)* | 1.2 (0.9 to 1.4) | 0.8 (0.5 to 1.1)* |
| Dominant distal UE | 0.5 (0.2 to 0.8) | 0.2 (−0.1 to 0.5) | 0.4 (0.2 to 0.6) | 0.3 (0.0 to 0.6) |
| Non-dominant distal UE | 0.3 (0.1 to 0.4) | 0.2 (−0.1 to 0.5) | 0.3 (0.0 to 0.5) | 0.2 (0.0 to 0.4) |
| RULA non-neutral posture magnitude | ||||
| Dominant UE | 19.5 (18.2 to 20.9) | 15.2 (14.0 to 16.7)* | 18.8 (17.3 to 20.4) | 21.7 (20.4 to 22.5)* |
| Non-dominant UE | 16.3 (15.1 to 17.5) | 11.9 (10.7 to 13.1)* | 16.2 (14.8 to 17.7) | 19.5 (16.9 to 22.0)* |
| Spine and lower extremities | 9.7 (8.8 to 10.6) | 9.6 (8.8 to 10.3) | 9.2 (8.2 to 10.2) | 9.2 (8.0 to 10.1) |
| Full dominant RULA | 29.2 (27.4 to 31.1) | 26.5 (25.2 to 27.9)* | 28.0 (25.8 to 30.2) | 30.3 (28.1 to 32.2)* |
| Full non-dominant RULA | 26.0 (24.2 to 27.8) | 23.1 (23.4 to 24.9)* | 25.4 (23.1 to 27.7) | 28.1 (25.8 to 30.2)* |
| Hand activity level (HAL) repetition | ||||
| Dominant UE | 4.1 (3.7 to 4.6) | 3.7 (3.2 to 4.1) | 4.1 (3.6 to 4.5) | 4.5 (4.1 to 4.9) |
| Non-dominant UE | 2.4 (1.9 to 2.9) | 3.9 (3.3 to 4.4)* | 2.1 (1.7 to 2.5) | 2.0 (1.6 to 2.3) |
*Paired t tests were used to compare preintervention and postintervention means for the intervention group and control group and were considered statistically significant at p≤0.05.
Lower values postintervention indicate a decrease in pain severity, non-neutral posture and hand activity.
RULA, rapid upper limb assessment; UE, upper extremity.