Pooling Sub-Task Physical Exposure Data to Study Work-Related Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Epicondylitis

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bao S ; Garg, Arun ; Hegmann K ; Kapellusch J ; Merryweather A ; Silverstein B ; Thiese, Matt
• Description:
  Workplace distal upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders (DUE MSDs) are prevalent, disabling and expensive(Silverstein and Adams 2007). While many risk factors have been suggested for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), job physical exposure risk factors are not well quantified (Nathan et al. 2005). For lateral and medial epicondylitis (LEPI and MEPI), job physical risk factors are even less well documented than for CTS. Several problems have contributed to limitations and inconsistencies in the literature, such as reliance on cross-sectional studies (NIOSH 1997); use of job titles or imprecise job physical exposure estimates; imprecise techniques to quantify complex physical exposures for tasks with varying forces and/or job rotation (e.g., using average force); use of small and/or non-representative samples of workers and industries; and lack of objective outcomes measures, such as physical maneuvers and nerve conduction studies (NCS). Three research institutions conducted three independent prospective studies on work-related DUE MSDs. All three institutions measured: job physical exposure on each individual worker, including demographics, medical history, psychosocial factors, and detailed health outcome data for CTS, LEPI and MEPI. Biomechanical factors for job physical exposure were measured and quantified at the sub-task level. Recently, the three research institutions received funding to pool these data to quantify exposure-response relationships. This paper presents the processes used for pooling biomechanical factors at sub-task levels, integrates sub-task level data to quantify exposures at job levels, and finally integrating exposures at job levels to quantify job physical exposure at worker levels. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Biomechanical Phenomena Ergonomics Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Analytical Models Biomechanics Carpal Tunnel Syndrome CTS Employee Exposure Exposure Assessment Force Injury Prevention Job Rotation MSD Musculoskeletal System Disorders Nerve Damage Risk Assessment Task Performance Upper Extremities

  More +
• Publisher:
  International Ergonomics Association
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 8 ; Utah ; Washington ; Wisconsin
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20052079
• Citation:
  The Proceedings of the 19th Triennial Congress of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA Congress 2015), August 9-14, 2015, Melbourne, Australia. Lindgaard G, Moore D, eds. Madison, WI: International Ergonomics Association, 2015 Aug; :1-3
• Editor(s):
  Lindgaard G; Moore D
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• Performing Organization:
  University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20130901
• Source Full Name:
  The Proceedings of the 19th Triennial Congress of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA Congress 2015), August 9-14, 2015, Melbourne, Australia
• End Date:
  20170831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b4484aca92a34ecd5d6e1ec48a5811b8c728ea289475b57423d0e59f94997eea6594e6faa1128384f390c2f6c0589008b14d41e223a1b97883ae9367d3fd19cb
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/211679/cdc_211679_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 153.19 KB ]