Repeated survey on changes in musculoskeletal complaints relative to age and work demands.

Abstract

Objectives-To examine changes in musculoskeletal complaints over four years in groups of employees relative to age and work demands. Methods-Repeated questionnaire data of male employees in heavy physical work (exposed group, n=7324) and mental work (control group, n=4686), stratified for age (20-9, 30-9, 40-9, 50-9), were analysed. For each employee, data on the occurrence of musculoskeletal complaints from two surveys with a mean interval of around four years were available. Changes in prevalences over the follow up interval were analysed. Proportions of new, recovered, and chronic cases as well as those free of complaints at both surveys were studied. Results-For most complaints, there were significantly greater increases in prevalences in the exposed group compared with the control group over the follow up interval particularly within the group aged 40-9 for back, neck, and several sites of the upper and lower limbs. The 20-9 year age group also had significantly greater changes for several musculoskeletal complaints. Within the oldest age group (50-9) exposure to heavy physical work demands only affected changes in prevalences of neck and upper arm complaints. After four years in the cohort free of complaints at the start of the follow up the group aged 40-9 had the highest prevalence of complaints of the back, neck, and the upper and lower limbs. occupations." Most of these surveys were limited to cross sectional data, offering weak evidence for causality due to uncertainty over the time of exposure and bias by a health related selection of employees.Longitudinal studies are considered to be more appropriate for studying the combined effects of aging and exposure to physical work demands on the development of musculoskeletal complaints, even though these studies also have their specific problems.5 Published data on these kinds of studies are scarce. In a four year follow up study of Tuomi et al,6 an increase from 36% to 50% in prevalence of musculoskeletal diseases was reported among male employees in physically demanding jobs compared with a change from 25% to 38% among those in mentally demanding jobs.These findings, however, were based on only one particular age group, employees aged 45 or older.It might be suggested that several age related factors are responsible for an increased risk of developing musculoskeletal complaints with advancing age for employees in physically demanding occupations: (a) biological changes with age-for example, degenerative changes of the intervertebral discs7; (b) the age related increase in number of years of exposure to harmful work demands;2 8 and (c) a gradual change in the balance between physical workload and physical work capacity as a result of a declining physical work capacity with age not compensated for by adaptations in tasks and working conditions.9 10 With this in mind, differences in the development of musculoskeletal complaints between age groups may be expected over a follow up interval of several years.

Selection related to musculoskeletal complaints among employees.

“…A reasonable explanation for the small increase in prevalence between the first survey and the second survey in the oldest age group in heavy physical work when compared with the other age groups is the smaller risk of developing back complaints within this healthy survivor population of elderly employees. 7 Contrary to our expectations, differential effects of type of work on selection based on back complaints were not found. Thus our results could not support the theory that in general, differences in selection bias between the population exposed to heavy physical work versus the control population significantly mask work related musculoskeletal disorders in epidemiological studies.…”

Prevalence and Associated Factors for Thoracic Spine Pain in the Adult Working Population: A Literature Review

“…1, the 1 yr prevalence was the most commonly reported period in the literature. The median 1 yr prevalence of TSP was 29.1% in manual labourers, 30.0% in office workers, 35.4% in health professionals, 18.1% in manufacturers and industrial workers, 20.0% in drivers, 14.4% in military personnel, and 33.0% in performing artists. Table 2 outlines the individual, general work-related, physical work-related, and psychosocial work-related factors reported in the literature to be associated with TSP.…”

Musculoskeletal Pain Disorders among Secondary School Saudi Female Teachers

“…The teachers of Salvador with three or more children reported more MSDs than those with one or two children [13], and this may be related to more time dedicated to taking care of children, possibility of more psychological stress, and need of a higher work load to increase family income [34]. …”