Association of Knee Pain in Long Standing and Sitting among University Teachers

Background: Prolonged sitting and standing raise the load on the knee, thus increasing the risk of knee pain and severity among teachers. Objective: To determine the association of knee pain in long-standing and sitting among school and university teachers. Methods: It was a cross-sectional survey conducted on 185 patients with a history of chronic knee pain. The data was collected from school and university teachers in the private and public sectors. Data were collected from both male and female teachers having knee pain and aged between 27 to 60 years and the patients who have a history of knee osteoarthritis, carcinoma, traumatic injury and wound/infection were excluded from the survey. The categorical variables were evaluated by frequency and percentages, while mean and standard deviation were calculated for continuous variables. The correlation was calculated between knee pain reported by university professors due to long periods of standing or sitting. Results: Out of 185 participants, 111 (60%) were females and 74 (40%) were males, with a mean age of 41.37±11.33. There was a weak positive correlation between knee pain and standing hours, which was statistically significant (r=0.273, n =185, p<0.001). There was a negative correlation between knee pain and sitting hours, (r=-0.160, n=185, p<0.05). Conclusion: This study found that prolonged standing hours may increase knee pain among teachers as compared to prolonged sitting. More standing hours during academic activities tend to increase knee pain while prolonged sitting did not increase that pain. There was a negative correlation between knee pain and sitting hours, and weak positive correlation between knee pain and standing hours, which was statistically significant.