Prevalence of work related musculoskeletal disorders among physicians, surgeons and dentists: A comparative study

Abstract

Background:Work related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are one of the common occupational hazards among health care providers.Aim:The objective of this study was to evaluate MSDs in terms of perception of pain experienced by physicians, surgeons and dental surgeons during professional work.Subjects and Methods:The study was conducted with 100 physicians practicing either modern or alternative medicine, 100 surgeons of various specialties and 100 dental surgeons. Self-reporting work related questionnaire on MSDs were distributed, including information on the location of MSD symptoms in the past 12 months and the pain experienced.Results:Musculoskeletal pain was most prevalent among dentists 61% (61/100), followed by surgeons 37% (37/100) and physicians 20% (20/100). Nearly 15% of physicians (3/20), 40% (15/37) of Surgeons and 60% (35/61) of Dentists had MSD problems in more than one site.Conclusion:Within the limitations of the study, there is a higher prevalence of MSDs experienced by dental surgeons than physicians and surgeons. More research is needed on musculoskeletal problems with dental surgeons and other specialty doctors with an emphasis on a larger sample sizes and correlating other factors such as age and sex of the doctor, duration of practice, working hours per week, physical activity and working environment.

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among health care professionals

“…Out of 160 (100.0%) health care professionals 109 (68.1%) had musculoskeletal pain or discomfort in the last 12 months and 51 (31.9%) had not, and it was also found that 57 (61.3%) doctors and 52 (77.6%) nurses had musculoskeletal pain or discomfort in the last 12 months, which was quite similar to the study findings [12] , where the prevalence and risk factors for low back pain among a variety of Turkish hospital workers, including nurses, physicians, physical therapists, technicians, secretaries, and hospital aides, in which the highest prevalence was reported by nurses (77.1%).This study result showed the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in different body region in the last 12 months, where more than 1 site involvement 46 (42.2%) followed by neck 19 (17.4%), shoulder 15 (13.8%), lower back 13 (11.9%), hips 8 (7.3%), hand/fingers 5(4.6%) which was close to the study. [13,14] In a comparative study [15] more than 1 site involvement of MSDs among dentists were showed 35.0%, which was consistent with the present study findings. Among 109 (100.0%) health care professionals who had musculoskeletal pain or discomfort, almost three fourth 78(71.5%) mentioned that pain not affecting their job, where as 31(28.4%) mentioned that pain affecting their job.…”

Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Dentists and Physicians at Minia University Hospitals; A Comparative Study.

“…MSDs in more than one site was significantly higher among dentists (73.2%) than physicians (50%) ( Table 2) which was in accordance with Rambabu and Suneetha, (2014) who found that 31.6% of physicians and 60% of dentists with MSDs had musculoskeletal problems in more than one site.…”

Occupational injuries among pediatric orthopedic surgeons

“…[26] The rate of lower back pain in our study was 22.8% among all respondents. It has been reported that standing without the freedom to sit increases the risk of experiencing a lower back pain.…”