Main Musculoskeletal Disorders in Virtual Modality Students

Musculoskeletal disorders are injuries and symptoms that affect any part of the body, mainly the locomotor system (bones, muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments, nerves mainly), from prolonged exposure to a certain activity and caused by the type of task, postures, required physical strength, use of work equipment, environment where it is developed and work organization, among others. It is one of the most frequent occupational diseases and the one that has increased the most in recent years and also encompasses people’s daily activities. The appearance of the COVID-19 pandemic has motivated that activities that were usually carried out in person, are now carried out virtually, in many cases using domestic environments and not designed for such purposes. This has been particularly important among university students who have had to study from home, using computer equipment and modifying their routine of daily activities, with the almost exclusive use of computer equipment. This situation has generated different musculoskeletal disorders among students, which usually occurred at older ages. The objective of this study was to determine the main musculoskeletal problems present among students in virtual mode. For this, a study sample was taken among students of the Industrial Engineering specialty and the so-called Nordic Kuorinka Questionnaire was applied, an evaluation instrument that allowed to establish these problems. The results will allow measures to be taken to reduce musculoskeletal disorders among students.