The prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints among women in Tijuana, Mexico: sociodemographic and occupational risk factors

[Effectiveness of physiotherapy on painful shoulder impingement syndrome]

BACKGROUND

Painful shoulder impingement syndrome is one of the first reasons for care in rehabilitation centres. As the evidence regarding the effectiveness of physical measures as adjuvant treatment is limited, the aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of physiotherapy on shoulder pain.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A retrospective and analytical study was conducted using the medical records of patients with shoulder pain who attended in a rehabilitation centre from October 2010 to September 2011. The demographic and clinical data were collected, and the clinical improvement was determined as: complete, incomplete, or no improvement.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

Chi squared was used to determine whether there were differences between the different modalities of physiotherapy, as well as the level of improvement.

RESULTS

The study included a total of 181 patients, with a mean age of 54.3 years, and a mean of 4.6 months of onset of pain. The physiotherapy treatments included: warm compresses plus interferential current (60.2%), and warm compresses plus ultrasound (17.1%). Just over half (53.6%) obtained a moderate recovery, 36.4% slight improvement, and 9.9% no improvement. No significant differences were found between the different forms of therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

The supervised rehabilitation program consists of 9 sessions of physiotherapy. A functional improvement of 90% was obtained, without finding any statistical differences between the therapies used.

Upper limb musculoskeletal disorders in healthcare personnel

The literature on upper limb musculoskeletal disorders (UL-MSD) in different groups of healthcare workers was reviewed: 65 relevant studies were collected. In dentists, the neck was the most frequently affected segment, with prevalences up to 73% and exceeding 50% in 7 out of 12 studies. In dental hygienists and in laboratory technicians, the hand/wrist had the highest prevalence in the majority of the studies. In nurses, the most seriously affected anatomic sites were the neck and shoulders. Physiotherapists had the lowest prevalence of UL-MSD. A high prevalence of upper limb disease, mainly carpal tunnel syndrome, was reported in dentists, dental hygienists, anesthesia nurses and endoscopists. The high prevalence of upper limb disorders/diseases reported in health personnel supports the hypothesis of a significant risk in these workers. However, the possible role of biomechanical overload, as much as that of stress or other personal factors, cannot be currently assessed. Practitioner Summary: Published studies support the hypothesis of a significant risk of upper limb musculoskeletal disorders in healthcare activities. The neck was the most frequently affected segment in dentists, the hand/wrist in dental hygienists and in laboratory technicians, and the neck and shoulders in nurses. Lower prevalence was reported in physiotherapists. A high prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome was also observed in various healthcare activities.

Musculoskeletal pain in Japan: prospective health diary study

The objective of this study was to understand musculoskeletal pain events and the use of health care services, including complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in Japan. We conducted a prospective cohort study for a 1-month period using a health diary in a random sample of adults. Of the 2,226 adults, 1,065 (48%) reported new musculoskeletal pain events. The mean number of events was 3.6 in 1 month. Back, neck and knee pain were among the most frequent. The episodes of various musculoskeletal pain events was different by gender, age, city size of living, income, job status, education, body mass index, and baseline quality of life. The individuals with musculoskeletal pain were more likely to use CAM than to visit physicians. Musculoskeletal pain is very common and the individuals with musculoskeletal pain are more likely to use CAM than to visit physicians in Japan.

Work-related musculoskeletal problems among women workers in the semiconductor industry in Peninsular Malaysia

A cross-sectional study to identify the prevalence of musculoskeletal problems and work-related risk factors was conducted among 906 women semiconductor workers. Highest prevalences were pain in the lower limbs, neck/shoulders, and upper back, and highest exposures were prolonged (> or = four hours per workshift) hand/wrist movement, standing, and lifting with hands. After logistic regression, lower-limb pain was significantly associated with standing, neck/shoulder pain with sitting and lifting, upper-back pain with climbing steps, low back pain with hand/wrist movement, and hand/wrist pain with lifting. Neck/shoulder pain was significantly higher for workers with shorter working durations, while lower-limb pain was significantly higher for workers with longer working durations. End-of-line assembly workers had significantly higher odds ratios for pain at all sites, while middle-of-line workers had higher odds ratios for pain in neck/shoulders and upper back, and wafer-fabrication workers had higher odds ratios for pain in low back and lower limbs.