ergonomics-related musculoskeletal disorders among students during the covid-19 pandemic: a scoping review

Background: during the covid-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdown, students have been forced to stay at home and use electronic devices in online classrooms. this scoping review aimed to examine the effects of incorrect ergonomics on musculoskeletal pain among students receiving distance education using e-devices during the covid-19 pandemic. materials and methods: a scoping review was performed on some databases, including web of science, scopus, google scholar, medline, pubmed, wiley online library, bmj learning, springer, and proquest, during the covid-19 pandemic from 2020-2021. firstly, a total of 75 articles were identified. next, 15 articles were assessed by inclusion and exclusion criteria. finally, a total of 9 articles were selected. results: only 5% or less of the students and parents were informed of the principles of working ergonomics while using e-devices. accordingly, risk factors associated with using e-devices, including prolonged sitting in awkward postures, number and duration of online classes per day (>6 hours/day), and lack of breaks between online classes had significant effects on ergonomics, postures, and musculoskeletal disorders (msds) among students during the covid-19 pandemic. our review showed the prevalence of a range of msds in the neck (24.8-69.9%), shoulders (17.5-25.3%), upper and lower back (18-63.4%), and wrists (30.7%) among the students. conclusions: increasing students’ knowledge, using ergonomic tables and chairs, designing correct workplace layouts, using stands for smartphones and tablets, reducing training durations, proving suitable environmental conditions, maintaining ideal distances, installing brake reminding software, and effectively taking exercise reduced musculoskeletal pain among the students.