Shoulder disorders in female working-age population: a cross sectional study

Strength Reduction in Unilateral Shoulder Pain: Is the Healthy Side Really Healthy in Rotator Cuff Disease?

OBJECTIVE

The primary aim was to ascertain whether unilateral shoulder pain is implicated in strength reduction both on the ipsilateral and contralateral side. Secondarily, we aimed to determine whether strength was affected by sonographic tendon abnormalities.

DESIGN

A total of 122 subjects were evaluated. Sixty-six female subjects with unilateral shoulder pain in the dominant arm were recruited. Abduction strength was measured in both the dominant and nondominant arm. High-resolution ultrasonography was also conducted on both shoulders. A match-paired control group (n = 66) composed of healthy volunteers underwent the same strength and sonography tests. Subjects with any radiographic anomaly were excluded from the control group. A mixed analysis of variance was performed to test the effect of unilateral shoulder pain on abduction strength. The effect of tendinopathy on shoulder strength was investigated using a mixed 2 × 2 analysis of variance.

RESULTS

Analysis of variance showed that patients with dominant shoulder pain had lower shoulder strength (11.65 ± 4.05 kg) when compared with controls (14.37 ± 4.00 kg; F = 10.454, P = 0.002). No statistically significant effects were found when comparing subjects with and without tendinopathy among the study group.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with unilateral shoulder pain, abduction strength was found to be lower both on the ipsilateral and contralateral side. The presence of tendinopathy did not affect the reduction in strength. Future research is needed to substantiate these findings.

Ultrasonography of the shoulder: asymptomatic findings from working-age women in the general population

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of abnormal shoulder ultrasonographic findings in a sample of asymptomatic women. [Subjects and Methods] A secondary analysis of a cross-sectional study was performed. We recruited 305 women (aged 18–56 years). All the subjects had a structured interview screening for self-reported symptoms and underwent a shoulder ultrasonographic examination, in which both shoulders were examined. The radiologist was blinded to the clinical history of the participants. All detectable shoulder abnormalities were collected. [Results] Of the subjects, 228 (74.75%) were asymptomatic at both shoulders, and 456 asymptomatic shoulders were analyzed. Lack of uniformity (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis, and biceps brachii long head) was found in 28 shoulders (6.14%), 19 (4.17%) on the dominant side and 9 (1.97%) on the non-dominant side. Tendinosis (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis, and biceps brachii long head) was found in 19 shoulders (5.32%), 12 (2.63%) on the dominant side and 7 (1.53%) on the non-dominant side. Calcification and other abnormal findings were reported. [Conclusion] The most common abnormalities were calcifications within the rotator-cuff tendons and humeral head geodes; other degenerative findings were less common.

Distal pain and carpal tunnel syndrome diagnosis among cashiers: a longitudinal study

OBJECTIVE

To estimate in a longitudinal study the yearly incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in a cohort of women working as cashiers.

METHOD

A total of 198 cashiers, belonging to a cohort investigated in 2011-2012 for arm pain, were screened for re-assessment in 2015 (at least 40 months from the first examination), and 156 women had complete demographic, personal and working data allowing to be included in this study. On the basis of self- and clinician-administered questionnaires investigating the presence of CTS, all symptomatic patients underwent clinical and neurophysiological [nerve conduction studies (NCS) of median and ulnar nerves] assessments.

RESULTS

NCS confirmed the presence of CTS in 17 out of 149 workers; however, seven of them already received the diagnosis of CTS at the previous assessment in 2011-2012, leading to an overall incidence of new cases equal to 7.0%. Cumulative working time at the cashier of the women with CTS in the period 2012-2015 was highly variable (1744-4479 h) without an evident association with the severity of CTS. No differences in general demographic data were found in the women with vs. without CTS. Comorbidities potentially associated with increased risk of CTS were present in 21 women in the entire cohort (14.0% of the population, 40.0% in the subgroup of women with newly assessed CTS). Overweight/obesity and hypothyroidism were the most frequent comorbidities.

CONCLUSION

The results of this prospective study showed that the annualized incidence of CTS in our population of cashier was 2.0%; 40% of the new CTS cases had comorbidities.

Symptoms and musculoskeletal diseases in hospital nurses and in a group of university employees: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Most studies have shown that nurses have a higher risk of developing musculoskeletal symptoms compared with other occupational groups.

AIM

A cross-sectional study was performed to gain more insight into the prevalence rates of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in nurses.

METHODS

The presence of musculoskeletal symptoms was revealed by personal interviews in a sample of 177 hospital nurses and in a reference group of 185 university employees. Musculoskeletal diseases were based on radiological examinations in all subjects.

RESULTS

Lower back pain (61% vs 42.2%) was the most frequently reported symptom, followed by neck pain (48.6% vs 38.4%) and shoulder pain (36.7% vs 25.9%), with a significantly higher prevalence in nurses. Women had about a 2-fold risk of upper limb region and neck pain compared with men. The most common abnormal findings on radiological examinations were disc herniations (n = 40).

CONCLUSIONS

Nurses showed a significantly higher risk of MSDs. Prevalence rates in nurses increased significantly with age. Musculoskeletal symptoms were also common in university employees. This suggests the need for effective intervention strategies involving workers' active participation, in order to improve the process and organization of work and promote a positive psychosocial work environment.