Health risks associated with prolonged standing.

Seventeen studies, which included information regarding the adverse health risks associated with prolonged standing, were selected for review. Prolonged standing was defined as standing for over 8 hours [7,8,9]. Studies were divided into three categories relating to the particular health risk associated with prolonged standing. Review of the literature indicated that chronic venous insufficiency [7,16], musculoskeletal pain of the lower back and feet [11,13], preterm birth, and spontaneous abortions [4,6,12,14] were health risks associated with working conditions that required prolonged standing. The use of support hose was associated with positive outcomes in the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency in several studies [1,2,3,9,17].