Musculoskeletal Disorders In Countryside Fishermen Of Amazonas-Brazil

Abstract

The postures adopted during fishing work can increase the rise of pain and discomfort, worsening the health risks of fishermen. To identify the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in fishermen working in the interior of the State of Amazonas, Brazil. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the fishery sector in the city Coari AM (SINPESCA). The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (QNM) and the Couto Checklist were applied. Of the 40 fishermen, the most affected areas by musculoskeletal disorders identified in 30 men were the upper back (63.3%), lower back (50.0%), knees (46.7%) , shoulders (36.7%) and elbows (33.3%), and among the 10 women the most affected areas were upper back (80.0%), hand/ wrist (60.0%), lower back (50.0%), shoulder (50.0%) and knees (40.0%). All fishermen had biomechanical factors indicating risk and high risk. The indicated presence of musculoskeletal disorder risks can be seen especially in anatomical regions of the upper and lower back. There is the need apply preventive measures, as well as continuing education in the area of occupational health.Keywords: Occupational Health. Cumulative Trauma Disorders. Huan Engineering. INTRODUCTIONFishing is generally carried out mainly by men, and may involve women, youth and children, using small rowing or motorized vessels (canoes and boats), without the use of a support instrument, relying only on traditional experience and knowledge. On an autonomous basis, the Municipality of Coari-AM and the riverside communities depend directly on this resource and seek through fishing their own consumption of fish and the commercial value of fish. The activity encompasses the capture, storage, transportation, cleaning of the fish and the sale of the product. Fishermen who are involved in direct manipulation with this work are subject to cold, heat, solar radiation, musculoskeletal problems, skin lesions, allergies and other injuries that may compromise the health of the worker 1 . In the middle ages, fish became gold used as the currency of exchange between peasants and feudal lords. In Brazil, large rivers and tributaries always favored activity, so that even before the discovery of Brazil, fishing had already established itself among the natives; a tradition that persists to this day in the Amazon. Artisanal fisheries account for approximately 8.5 million Brazilian reals and is responsible for producing wealth around 2.8% of the GDP 2,3 .Fishermen who catch fish and carry out the duties of fishing boat crew members, perform various tasks and a large part of the group has a large lack of educational information (basic prevention), specifically related to the importance of physiotherapy, which provides for the development of basic actions. Together with these data comes a high cost in the treatment of diseases and work-related accidents with about 9.8 billion reals 5 . Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are characterized by the erosion of structures such as synoviums, capsules, ligaments, tendons, muscles, nerves and fascia, and mainly affect ...

Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders and Self-Reported Pain in Artisanal Fishermen from a Traditional Community in Todos-os-Santos Bay, Bahia, Brazil

“…For Ramiser-Maestre [ 54 ], it is necessary to evaluate the perception of pain through a biopsychological model, especially when considering analysis by gender; in this way, the study cited [ 52 ] suggests that women have high pain perception, but better adapt to chronic pain, and as a consequence, have better functional capacity in relation to daily activities. In the findings of this study, it can be observed that 92.5% of artisanal fishermen reported musculoskeletal pain in at least one region of their bodies over the last year, the most afflicted parts being the regions of the wrist/hand, upper and lower back, which is closer to the findings of other scientific investigations [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 ].…”

“…Descriptively, there is a higher prevalence of MSD in shellfish gatherers, very similar to previous studies performed in the Brazilian northeast, in which the authors also found a high prevalence of generalized MSD [ 35 ] among shellfish gatherers, as well as pain in the upper limbs [ 45 ], lower back region [ 45 ], all related to the practice of fishing [ 34 ]. Evidence of MSD symptoms were also found in studies with fishermen, for example in the United States (42.8–83.3%) [ 16 ], Turkey (84%) [ 17 ], Norway (33%) [ 19 ] and Spain (65.5–88%) [ 24 ].…”

“…Among the female shellfish gatherers, the frequency was of 86.4% and among fishermen, 82.9%, results similar to the study undertaken by Couto and collaborators [ 34 ] (2019), with shellfish gatherers in northeastern Brazil. In the study of Fragoso and collaborators [ 46 ] (2018), performed with fishermen in the Brazilian Amazon region, 50% levels of MSD were found in the lower back region, showing the same severe occurrence of that in fishermen in Santiago do Iguape, where there is a prevalence of 82.9%; still, it should be emphasized that these findings were higher than, for example, those of the study undertaken with fishermen in Nigeria [ 45 ], where the MSD in the lower back was of 68.23%.…”

“…For example, according to the Regulation Norm (NR) 17 [ 47 ], which regulates Brazilian labor law, a pause is necessary during a work shift to recuperate static and dynamic muscular overburdening. The inexistence or limited nature of work pauses is evident for the informal worker, especially those who depend on natural resources for their subsistence [ 34 , 45 , 48 ].…”

Sintomas musculoesqueléticos em catadoras de marisco

“…Estudos vêm sendo desenvolvidos objetivando compreender o trabalho e as queixas musculoesqueléticas. No entanto, é necessário considerar a incipiência na literatura científica sobre tais distúrbios no trabalho informal, inclusive no processo de trabalho da catadora de marisco 6,11,12 .…”