Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders

Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders

Report, Workshop Summary, and Workshop Papers

  • Publisher: National Academies Press
  • ISBN: 9780309063975
  • eISBN Pdf: 9780309539203
  • eISBN Epub: 9780309173247
  • Place of publication:  United States
  • Year of digital publication: 1999
  • Month: March
  • Pages: 240
  • Language: English

Estimated costs associated with lost days and compensation claims related to musculoskeletal disorders—including back pains and repetitive motion injuries—range from $13 billion to $20 billion annually. This is a serious national problem that has spurred considerable debate about the causal links between such disorders and risk factors in the workplace.

This book presents a preliminary assessment of what is known about the relationship between musculoskeletal disorders and what may cause them. It includes papers and a workshop summary of findings from orthopedic surgery, public health, occupational medicine, epidemiology, risk analysis, ergonomics, and human factors. Topics covered include the biological responses of tissues to stress, the biomechanics of work stressors, the epidemiology of physical work factors, and the contributions of individual, recreational, and social factors to such disorders. The book also considers the relative success of various workplace interventions for prevention and rehabilitation.

  • Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders
  • Copyright
  • Contents
  • PREFACE
  • II WORKSHOP SUMMARY
    • Introduction
    • Organizing Framework
    • Biological Responses of Tissues to Stressors
      • PRESENTATIONS
        • Soft Tissue Responses to Physical Stressors: Muscles, Tendons, and Ligaments
          • Muscles
          • Tendons and Ligaments
        • Soft Tissue Responses to Physical Stressors: Nerves
      • DISCUSSION
    • Work Factors, Individual Host Factors, and Internal Loads: Biomechanics of Work Stressors
      • PRESENTATION
        • Work Factors and Biomechanics
      • DISCUSSION
    • Epidemiology: Physical Factors
      • PANEL DISCUSSION
      • WORKSHOP DISCUSSION
    • Non-Biomechanical Factors That Can Affect Musculoskeletal Disorders
      • PRESENTATION
        • Epidemiological Evidence that Non-Biomechanical Factors Can Cause Musculoskeletal Disorders
          • Individual Factors
          • Organizational and Social Factors
      • DISCUSSION
    • Intervention to Control Musculoskeletal Disorders
      • PRESENTATION
        • The Research on Interventions to Control Musculoskeletal Disorders
      • DISCUSSION
    • Conclusion: Integration and Overview
      • PANEL COMMENTS
      • GENERAL DISCUSSION
    • REFERENCES
    • Appendix A Invitees and Participants, Workshop on Work-Related Musculoskeletal Injuries: Examining ...
      • PARTICIPANTS
      • INVITEES WHO WERE UNABLE TO ATTEND
      • STAFF
    • Appendix B
  • III WORKSHOP PAPERS
    • Response of Muscle and Tendon to Injury and Overuse
      • INTRODUCTION
      • MUSCLE
        • Contraction-induced Injury
        • Single-event muscle strain injuries:
        • Muscle Fatigue
        • Muscle Pain
        • Aging Effects in Muscle
        • Effect of Exercise on Muscle
        • Estimation of Muscle and Tendon Forces
      • PASSIVE TENSILE STRUCTURES:
        • Ligament
        • Ligament response to alterations in loading
        • Ligamentous response to repetitive loading
        • Age-Related Changes in Ligaments
        • Tendon
        • Cumulative Strain
        • Animal models of tendon response to exercise
        • Animal models for inducing tendinosis.
        • Measurements of Carpal Tunnel Pressure
        • Muscle-Tendon Unit
      • BRIEF DISCUSSION—THE SITE OF INJURY.
      • CONCLUSIONS
        • Tendon/ligament
        • Muscle
      • FUTURE DIRECTIONS
    • REFERENCES
    • Biological Response of Peripheral Nerves to Loading: Pathophysiology of Nerve Compression Syndromes and Vibration Induced…
      • INTRODUCTION
      • STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF PERIPHERAL NERVES
        • Microanatomy
        • Normal Gliding of Nerve Trunks
      • PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT—DATABASE SEARCH
      • EXPERIMENTAL DEVICES FOR NERVE COMPRESSION IN ANIMALS
      • NERVE COMPRESSION—ACUTE EFFECTS (HOURS)
      • NERVE COMPRESSION—SHORT-TERM EFFECTS (DAYS)
      • NERVE COMPRESSION—LONG-TERM EFFECTS (WEEKS)
      • HISTOLOGY OF HUMAN NERVE COMPRESSION
      • VIBRATION AND NERVE—SHORT-TERM EFFECTS (DAYS)
      • HISTOLOGY OF HUMAN VIBRATION INDUCED NEUROPATHY
      • EXTRANEURAL PRESSURE IN NERVE COMPRESSION SYNDROMES
      • EFFECTS OF JOINT POSTURE AND HAND LOADING ON EXTRANEURAL PRESSURE IN NORMAL SUBJECTS
      • CONCLUSIONS
    • REFERENCES
    • Work Factors, Personal Factors, and Internal Loads: Biomechanics of Work Stressors
      • 1. INTRODUCTION
      • 2. INTERNAL TISSUE LOADING
        • 2.1. Bone
        • 2.2. Ligaments and Connective Tissues
        • 2.3. Tendons
        • 2.4. Muscles
          • 2.4.1. Force Generation and Biomechanics
          • 2.4.2. Co-contraction
          • 2.4.3. Localized Muscle Fatigue
        • 2.5. Inter-vertebral Disc
        • 2.6. Nerves
      • 3. EXTERNAL LOADING FACTORS
        • 3.1. Physical Stress
          • 3.1.1. Motion
          • 3.1.2. Force
          • 3.1.3. Vibration
          • 3.1.4. Temperature
        • 3.2. Physical Stress Properties
        • 3.3. Interactions
      • 4. ASSESSMENT OF WORKPLACE FACTORS
        • 4.1. Survey Methods
        • 4.2. Production and Time Data
        • 4.3. Detailed Analysis
          • 4.3.1.1 Force
          • 4.3.1.2 Vibration
          • 4.3.1.3 Cold
      • 5. WORKPLACE DESIGN FACTORS AND PHYSICAL STRESS EXPOSURE
        • 5.1. Workplace Layout
        • 5.2. Interactions with Objects
        • 5.3. Work Scheduling
        • 5.4. Force Requirements
        • 5.5. Individual Factors
      • 6. DISCUSSION
      • 7. SUMMARY
      • 8. References
    • Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders: Examining the Research Base Epidemiology: Physical Factors
      • SUMMARY:
    • The Epidemiology of Workplace Factors and Musculoskeletal Disorders: an Assessment of the NIOSH Review
      • References:
    • Workshop on Work-Related Musculoskeletal Injuries: Examining the Research Base Panel on Epidemiology: Risk Factors
    • Epidemiologic Studies of Physical Ergonomic Stressors and Musculoskeletal Disorders
      • References
    • Analysis of The Scientific Approach in Assessing Epidemiological Evidence for the Relationship Between Work and Musculoskel…
      • INTRODUCTION
      • METHODOLOGY FOR CAUSAL DETERMINATION OF WORK AND MSDS
        • Study Critique
        • Weight of Evidence Approach
        • Work-Related and Non-work-Related MSD Incidence
      • SUMMARY
    • Summary Comments
      • NOTES:
    • Non-Biomechanical Factors Potentially Affecting Musculoskeletal Disorders
      • SECTION ONE: PERSONAL FACTORS
        • Systemic Disorders
        • Vitamin B6
        • Pregnancy/Gynecologic History
        • Body Mass Index (BMI)
        • Gender
        • Wrist size/dimension and CTS
        • Aging and CTDs
        • General Fitness
        • Genetics
      • SECTION TWO: WORK-RELATED FACTORS
        • Search Strategy and Selection Criteria
        • Summary of Results
        • Review of Methods
        • Additional Non-Biomechanical Factors
        • Conclusion
      • References
        • Systemic Disease and CTS
        • Vitamin B6 and CTS
        • Pregnancy/Gynecologic History and CTS
        • Obesity
        • Gender and CTS
        • Carpal Canal Size/Wrist shape
        • Aging and CTDs
        • Physical Conditioning
        • Genetics and CTDs
        • Non-biomechanical Work Factors-Exemplar Studies
        • Non-biomechanical Work Factors - Other References
    • A Review of Research on Interventions to Control Musculoskeletal Disorders
      • A. INTRODUCTION
      • B. THE NATURE OF INTERVENTIONS TO CONTROL MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS
      • C. METHODS USED TO REVIEW THE LITERATURE
      • D. GENERAL DISCUSSION OF THE STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS OF RESEARCH ON THE EFFECTS OF INTERVENTIONS ON MUSCULOSKELETAL…
      • E.REVIEW OF SELECT RESEARCH
        • 1. Conclusions from Examples of Laboratory Intervention Research:
          • 1.1. Methodological Strengths and Weaknesses of the Laboratory Intervention Research Studies:
      • B. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE FINDINGS FROM THE LABORATORY INTERVENTION RESEARCH STUDIES:
        • 2. Conclusions from Examples of Field Intervention Studies:
          • 2.1. Examples of Intervention Studies of Injured Employees:
            • 2.1.1. Methodological Strengths and Weaknesses of the Field Studies using Injured Subjects:
      • B. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE FINDINGS FROM THE FIELD INTERVENTION RESEARCH STUDIES USING INJURED SUBJECTS:
        • 2.2. Examples of Intervention Studies with Healthy Workers:
          • 2.2.1. Methodological Strengths and Weaknesses of the Field Studies using Healthy Subjects.
      • B. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE FINDINGS FROM THE FIELD INTERVENTION RESEARCH STUDIES USING HEALTHY SUBJECTS:
      • F. GLOBAL ASSESSMENT OF THE LITERATURE
        • 1. Discussion of research methods
        • 2. Quality of the research
        • 3. Discussion of the Findings from the Literature
      • G. References

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