Musculoskeletal disorders among secondary school teachers in Douala, Cameroon: The effect of the practice of physical activities.

The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show whether physical activity reduced disorder risk or whether pain made teachers inactive. Musculoskeletal disorders were identified from self-reported questionnaire answers, not from medical confirmation. Psychosocial factors, job satisfaction, quality of life, workplace violence and ergonomic factors were not measured. Only 179 of 300 distributed questionnaires were correctly returned, so teachers who responded may differ from those who did not. Participants were secondary school teachers in five government schools in Douala, so findings may not apply to other jobs, countries or more severe cases. Teachers with trauma history or on medication for musculoskeletal disorders were excluded, so those with established or treated disorders were not represented.

Do not read this as proof that physical activity prevents musculoskeletal disorders. The study measured activity by questionnaire at one time point, so inactive teachers reporting more pain may have stopped being active because of pain.