Forestry workers exposed to vibration: a neurological study.

Abstract

Neurological findings were examined in 186 forestry workers with a mean exposure to chain saw vibration of 16-6 hours. The prevalence of active vibration induced white fingers was 5%, parethaesias of the hands 53%, and muscle weakness 13%. Clinical polyneuropathy was observed in 16 forestry workers in the hands (7.5%) which did not correlate with alcohol consumption. Seventy nine forestry workers of the total population were selected for electromyographic examination.

Vibration exposure and disease in a shipyard: A 13‐year revisit

“…The concurrence between current exposures and sensorineural symptoms in 2001, compared with 1988, may indicate a more temporal or episodic pattern of disease. It is consistent with the observation by Farkkila et al [1988] that, among forest workers, reduced tool vibration had less of an effect on neurological symptoms than vascular symptoms, because of the persistence of biomechanically influenced disorders, such as CTS. Self-reported prior physician diagnosis of CTS had a monotonic association with current exposure, and increased to over 35% of workers in the highest exposure group in the 2001 survey.…”

Impact of occupations and job tasks on the prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome.

“…In our survey of the literature, there were 21 articles and reports that met the established criteria: 15 crosssectional studies in which 32 occupational or exposure groups had been studied (table 1) (6,(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24) and six case-referent studies (table 2) (25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30). All of these studies involved prevalent cases of CTS.…”

Thermal Perception Threshold Testing for the Evaluation of Small Sensory Nerve Fiber Injury in Patients with Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome.

“…Histopathological studies have demonstrated demyelinating neuropathy with severe destruction and loss of the myelin sheath, and remarkable loss of nerve fibers in finger skin specimens from vibrationexposed subjects 1,2) . Nerve conduction measurements have shown reduced sensory and motor nerve conduction velocities in vibration-exposed hands 3,4) , which are associated with impaired vibration perception thresholds and reduced grip force 5,6) . Vibration perception threshold testing is widely accepted as a useful measure for screening or diagnosing vibrationinduced sensory nerve impairments 7) .…”