Ergonomic Pain-Part 1: Etiology, Epidemiology, and Prevention

Factors Associated with Work-Related Injury among Hospital Employees

The Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS) spends $1 million annually on occupational illnesses and injuries. To address the problem of injuries among hospital employees, a retrospective case-control study was conducted to examine select risk factors for work-related injuries (WRI) among CAVHS employees. Study methods included a review of employee health charts and computer and manual databases from 1997 to 2002 ( N = 2,050). The researchers found that WRI increased with age; WRI occurred more often in women than in men; WRI was greater among maintenance and custodial staff compared to direct caregivers, and less among clerical staff; WRI occurred less often in part-time than full-time staff; and WRI increased with increasing body mass index. Developing standards, guidelines, and policies for preplacement screening, preventive measures, training, and education may help to minimize WRI and associated costs.

Avaliação postural de nadadores e sua relação com o tipo de respiração

INTRODUÇÃO: A avaliação postural é importante em qualquer exame físico, tanto na reabilitação como na prevenção, e com ela poderemos adquirir condições de mudar hábitos inadequados ou ineficientes de cada indivíduo. OBJETIVO: Avaliar e comparar os gêneros das alterações posturais dos atletas de natação e verificar a associação dessas alterações com o tipo de respiração. METODOLOGIA: Participaram 60 atletas, sendo que todos preencheram uma ficha, incluindo: sexo, idade, principal estilo do nado, tempo de prática do esporte e tipo de respiração predominante. Na avaliação postural, utilizou-se uma câmera fotográfica digital Sony DSC-W 130 Cyber-Shot® e tripé WT3510A®. Os dados foram analisados de modo descritivo e a associação entre as variáveis utilizou o Teste Exato de Fisher, por meio do software SAS® 9. RESULTADOS: O crawl foi o estilo de nado predominante entre os atletas; notamos que os homens (49%) tinham respiração unilateral à direita; e as mulheres (41%), à esquerda. Os homens (58%) apresentaram mais hiperlordose lombar e as mulheres (31%) escoliose convexa à direita (p = 0,01). Foi apresentada associação entre alterações posturais e o tipo de respiração no sexo masculino, sendo que aqueles que respiravam para o lado direito tinham ombro esquerdo elevado e escoliose convexa à esquerda (p = 0,02). CONCLUSÃO: Os resultados revelaram que os atletas que praticam respiração unilateral à direita apresentavam mais alterações posturais. Por outro lado, a insuficiência de trabalhos publicados sobre a avaliação postural associado ao tipo de respiração de nadadores reforça a necessidade de novos estudos.

Costs by industry and diagnosis among musculoskeletal claims in a state workers compensation system: 1999-2004

BACKGROUND

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a tremendous burden on industry in the United States. However, there is limited understanding of the unique issues relating to specific industry sectors, specifically the frequency and costs of different MSDs.

METHODS

Claim data from 1999 to 2004 from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation were analyzed as a function of industry sector (NAICS industry-sector categories) and anatomical region (ICD-9 codes).

RESULTS

Almost 50% of the claims were lumbar spine (26.9%) or hand/wrist (21.7%). The majority of claims were from manufacturing (25.1%) and service (32.8%) industries. The industries with the highest average costs per claim were transportation, warehouse, and utilities and construction. Across industries, the highest costs per claim were consistently for the lumbar spine, shoulder, and cervical spine body regions.

CONCLUSION

This study provides insight into the severity (i.e., medical and indemnity costs) of MSDs across multiple industries, providing data for prioritizing of resources for research and interventions.

Musculoskeletal disorders (Msds) and dental practice. part 1. General information-terminology, aetiology, work-relatedness, magnitude of the problem, and prevention

Occupational health hazards are common in many sectors and are on the increase. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), which are problems of musculoskeletal system, are significant and costly workplace problems affecting occupational health, productivity and the careers of the working population. Although there is a lack of uniform medical information and a clear understanding of the nature of MSDs, and significant difficulties in diagnosis which generate an ongoing debate regarding many aspects of these conditions, various risk factors are identified and preventive measures are available. As safety and health at work is a realistic target and prevention is clearly the best approach, the preventive philosophy deserves particular attention. This review aims to provide background information on general features of MSDs, identified risk factors and the basic philosophy of prevention.

Ergonomic Pain--Part 2: Differential Diagnosis and Management Considerations

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) can produce ergonomic pain in several different regions of the body, including the shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand, lumbar spine, knee, and ankle/foot. Each family of disorders is distinctive in presentation and requires diagnosis-specific interventions. Because of the complex nature of these disorders, management approaches may not always eliminate symptoms and or completely restore patient function to a level found prior to symptom onset. As a consequence, ergonomic measures should be implemented to reduce the overload on tissue and contribute to patient recovery. However, functional limits may persist and the clinician must make further decisions regarding a person's functional status in the chronic stages of the patient's care.