The natural course of carpal tunnel syndrome in a working population

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bao S ; Bonauto DK ; Fan ZJ ; Howard N ; Silverstein BA ; Smith CK ; Viikari-Juntura E
• Description:
  OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess prevalence, incidence, and persistence of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and associated symptoms over a one-year period in a working population. METHODS: We conducted a one-year prospective study of 418 active workers in 12 worksites. Detailed health interviews, psychosocial questionnaires, and electrophysiological studies [ie, nerve conduction velocity (NCV) tests] were conducted at baseline and one-year follow-up. Individual-observed exposure assessments of wrist posture, hand activity, and hand forces were conducted. RESULTS: Prevalence of CTS cases at baseline was 10.8% [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 7.8-13.7%] on the dominant side and 6.0% (95% CI 3.7-87.3%) on the non-dominant side; CTS symptoms were 14.1% (95% CI 10.8-17.5%) and 11.0% (95% CI 8.0-14.0%), respectively. Incidence of CTS cases were 7.5% (95% CI 4.8-10.2%) and 5.6% (95% CI 3.3-7.9%), respectively. Higher proportions of subjects with current symptoms or positive electrophysiological test findings at baseline became CTS cases at one year compared to those with neither (28.6% and 13.9%, respectively, versus 0.5%). One-year persistence of CTS case status was 44.4% (95% CI 29.9-59.0%) for the dominant hand and 52.0% (95% CI 32.4-71.6) for non-dominant hand. There were significant differences at baseline between asymptomatic subjects and CTS cases with respect to higher job demands (P=0.027), lower job satisfaction (P=0.036), lower general health (P=0.0009), higher exposure to vibrating hand tool use (P=0.039), and greater time using a forceful power grip (P=0.035) among cases. CONCLUSIONS: CTS symptoms more than positive NCV test results alone appear to predict CTS at one year. Persistence of CTS at one year is high. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Electrophysiology Environmental Monitoring Ergonomics Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Risk Assessment Safety Surveys And Questionnaires
• Keywords:
  Arm-injuries Carpal-tunnel-syndrome Electrophysiological-effects Electrophysiological-examinations Electrophysiological-measurements Exposure-assessment Injuries Physiological-measurements Physiological-response Posture Questionnaires Risk-analysis Statistical-analysis Work-analysis Work-performance Worker-health

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• ISSN:
  0355-3140
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement ; Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  384-393
• Volume:
  36
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20038130
• Citation:
  Scand J Work Environ Health 2010 Sep; 36(5):384-393
• Contact Point Address:
  B. Silverstein, Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention (SHARP), Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, PO Box 44330, Olympia, WA 98504-4330, USA
• Email:
  Silb235@lni.wa.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2010
• NORA Priority Area:
  Disease and Injury: Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Upper Extremities
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20000930
• Source Full Name:
  Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health
• End Date:
  20060929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b7ba3ac87550d96cbe64017a00d15a2fb605cf072ea0a048111e42b3a303be656585b0d879fb14c8e0f0c03b5a72d5b791cbcbcc12915114f115eeb4eacf64a6
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/191935/cdc_191935_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 266.85 KB ]