Specific and Non-Specific Upper Extremity Musculoskeletal Disorder Syndromes in Automobile Manufacturing Workers

Details

• Personal Author:
  d'Errico A ; Gold JE ; Gore R ; Katz JN ; Punnett, Laura
• Description:
  OBJECTIVE: A longitudinal cohort of automobile manufacturing workers (n = 1,214) was examined for: (1) prevalence and persistence of specific upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders (UEMSDs) such as lateral epicondylitis and de Quervain's disease, and non-specific disorders (NSDs) defined in symptomatic individuals without any specific disorder, and (2) disorder prognoses based on symptom characteristics and other factors. METHODS: Eight specific disorders were identified through case definitions based on upper extremity physical examinations and symptom surveys administered on three occasions over 6 years. RESULTS: At baseline, 41% of the cohort reported upper extremity symptoms; 18% (n = 214) of these had NSDs. In each survey, tendon-related conditions accounted for over half of the specific morbidity. Twenty-five percent had UEMSDs in multiple anatomical sites, and most with hand/wrist disorders had two or more hand/wrist UEMSDs. Persistence for all specific disorders decreased with length of follow-up. Specific UEMSDs were characterized by greater pain severity and functional impairment, and more lost work days than NSDs. CONCLUSIONS: Upper extremity symptoms and diagnoses vary over time. NSDs may be the early stages of conditions that will eventually become more specific. NSDs and overlapping specific UEMSDs should be taken into account in UEMSD classification. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Biomechanical Phenomena Epidemiology Ergonomics Mental Health Musculoskeletal Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Risk Assessment Safety Surveys And Questionnaires Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Case Definition Biomechanics Musculoskeletal-system-disorders Musculoskeletal Disorders Occupational-exposure Persistence Psychological-reactions Psychological-responses Questionnaires Risk-analysis Statistical-analysis Tendinitis Work-analysis Work-environment Work-operations Work-practices Workplace-studies

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• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  124-132
• Volume:
  52
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20034976
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2009 Feb; 52(2):124-132
• Contact Point Address:
  Judith E. Gold, Department of Public Health, Temple University, 1700 North Broad Street, 1301 Cecil B. Moore Avenue, 9th floor, Philadelphia, PA 19122
• Email:
  Judith.Gold@temple.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2009
• Performing Organization:
  University of Massachusetts, Lowell
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19980901
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20040630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:24bf3e75b28760e078ba957248a2e59be9041002cc44bc4c631e6f863657d80d2836cd149299df4d514c541bce6dd8c9284151fb2709a2e527153b02dfa79e4e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/186983/cdc_186983_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 161.46 KB ]