Specific and non‐specific upper extremity musculoskeletal disorder syndromes in automobile manufacturing workers

Abstract

Objective-A longitudinal cohort of automobile manufacturing workers (n = 1214) was examined for: 1) prevalence and persistence of specific upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders (UEMSDs) such as lateral epicondylitis and de Quervain's disease, and non-specific disorders (NSDs) defined in symptomatic individuals without any specific disorder, and 2) disorder prognoses based on symptom characteristics and other factors.Methods-Eight specific disorders were identified through case definitions based on upper extremity physical examinations and symptom surveys administered on three occasions over six years.Results-At baseline, 41% of the cohort reported upper extremity symptoms; 18% (n = 214) of these had NSDs. In each survey, tendon-related conditions accounted for over half of the specific morbidity. Twenty-five percent had UEMSDs in multiple anatomical sites, and most with hand/ wrist disorders had two or more hand/wrist UEMSDs. Persistence for all specific disorders decreased with length of follow-up. Specific UEMSDs were characterized by greater pain severity and functional impairment, and more lost work days than NSDs.Conclusions-Upper extremity symptoms and diagnoses vary over time. NSDs may be the early stages of conditions that will eventually become more specific. NSDs and overlapping specific UEMSDs should be taken into account in UEMSD classification.

Risk factors for de Quervain’s disease in a French working population

“…The prevalence of DQD observed in this working population was close to that estimated in the British general population of working age (0.5% of men and 1.3% of women) (25). However, our estimates were lower than those reported for highly exposed blue-collar workers in automotive plants (4,8,11) and the meatprocessing and manufacturing industries (7,10,15).…”

“…Finkelstein's test is widely accepted and used by clinicians for the diagnosis of DQD (20). However, it lacks specificity and may be positive in cases of osteoarthritis of the wrist or first carpometaphalangeal joint and flexor/extensor hand-wrist tendonitis (37), which frequently overlap with DQD (8,25). We cannot therefore exclude the possibility that some cases diagnosed as DQD were symptomatic of osteoarthritis or flexor/extensor hand-wrist tendinitis in the absence of imaging of the wrist.…”

“…A wide range of prevalence of DQD (0.7-36%) has been reported in working populations, depending on the definition used and the populations involved (4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11). An incidence of 0.6 per 1000 person-years among men and 2.8 per 1000 person-years among women was recently reported in a large population of young US military personnel (12).…”

An analysis on neck and upper limb musculoskeletal symptoms in Portuguese automotive assembly line workers

“…Being men, with ages between 30 and 40 years, with an average of 15 years working in the same company, were the most common characteristics in this survey, in agreement with other studies (Ferguson, Marras, Allread, Knapik, & Splittstoesser, 2012;Gold et al, 2009;Kitis et al, 2009;Menegon & Fischer, 2012;Ohlander, Keskin, Weiler, Stork, & Radon, 2016;Pullopdissakul et al, 2013). Regarding musculoskeletal symptoms, despite the different methods and criteria used, neck and upper limbs were also the most reported body areas, as in other studies (Colombini & Occhipinti, 2006;Eatough et al, 2012;Eerd et al, 2016;Gold et al, 2009;Kitis et al, 2009;Sundstrup et al, 2013b).…”

“…Assembly lines are related to occupational health risks, work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD), particularly of the neck and upper limbs (WULMSD) and absenteeism (Eatough, Way, & Chang, 2012;Gold, d'Errico, Katz, Gore, & Punnett, 2009;Hagberg et al, 2012;Kitis, Celik, Aslan, & Zencir, 2009;Pullopdissakul, Ekpanyaskul, Taptagaporn, Bundhukul, & Thepchatri, 2013;Sadi, MacDermid, Chesworth, & Birmingham, 2007;Sancini et al, 2013;Spallek, Kuhn, Uibel, van Mark, & Quarcoo, 2010;Wang et al, 2009;Zebis et al, 2011). 2016) and it is estimated that over 3 million of new workers have WULMSD (Pullopdissakul et al, 2013).…”