Elsevier

Physiotherapy

Volume 91, Issue 3, September 2005, Pages 138-147
Physiotherapy

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders affecting members of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2005.06.001Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective

To estimate the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders from a snapshot sample of members of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP); the trade union, educational and professional body for physiotherapists, physiotherapy assistants and physiotherapy students in the UK. The distribution of musculoskeletal disorders against different variables, including age of therapist, years in practice and clinical specialty, was also investigated. We set out to highlight the job tasks that injured physiotherapists associated with their complaint and to identify any preventive strategies that injured physiotherapists adopted to prevent re-injury.

Design

A self-administered questionnaire was posted to a randomly selected sample taken from the membership database of the CSP.

Participants

Ten percent (n = 3661) of registered physiotherapists, physiotherapy assistants and physiotherapy students on clinical placement.

Main instrument

Questionnaire based on the Standardised Nordic Questionnaire.

Results

Reported career prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in members of the CSP was 68%. Previous 12-month prevalence was 58%, and 42% reported musculoskeletal symptoms in the last 12 months that lasted for more than 3 days. The low back was the body area identified by 44% of injured respondents as their most significant injury. Nearly one-third (32%) of injured respondents first experienced their worst injury within 5 years of graduation. A greater number of respondents (59%) were aged 30 years or under when their most serious injury occurred. Injured respondents rated ‘performing the same tasks over and over’, ‘working in the same position for long periods’ and ‘treating a large number of patients in 1 day’ as the three most influential job risk factors contributing to injury.

Conclusions

Younger physiotherapists and newly qualified graduates appear to be most in need of intervention services aimed at reducing injury rates. Official action is undermined by injured physiotherapists seeking informal treatment from colleagues rather than reporting injury to their manager, helping to keep work-related injury a hidden problem. Physiotherapists should be encouraged to report workplace injury, and barriers to official reporting should be identified.

Section snippets

Background

Musculoskeletal disorders have been described as ‘the most notorious and common causes of severe long-term pain and physical disability, affecting hundreds of millions of people across the world’ [1]. In Europe, one-quarter of adults are affected by longstanding musculoskeletal problems that limit everyday activities.

It is in this context that musculoskeletal disorders are considered to be one of the biggest health problems facing contemporary workforces [2], despite decades of ergonomic

Sampling

A self-administered questionnaire was mailed to a randomly selected 10% sample (n = 3661) of CSP members. These included qualified physiotherapists, physiotherapy assistants and physiotherapy students on clinical placement. It had been intended to stratify the sample according to data held on the CSP's membership database. However, information on potential stratification categories was found to be out of date and incomplete. The size of the random sample was thought to militate against sample

Results

Three thousand, six hundred and sixty-one questionnaires were distributed in June 2003 and 2688 valid responses were returned (response rate 73.4%). Fifty-three questionnaires were returned uncompleted (i.e. left completely blank) and a further 21 letters were received explaining non-response (recipient had moved address, gone travelling or had died). The gender breakdown of respondents, 89% female (n = 2318) and 11% male (n = 275), closely reflects the paid-up associate, qualified and student

Risk assessment

All respondents were asked whether they had had a risk assessment conducted in their current post. Fifty-six percent (n = 1385) of those who answered the question (n = 2468) had had a risk assessment in their current post, with 30% experiencing regular, annual risk assessments. Forty-four percent of respondents had not had a risk assessment in their current post. Of respondents who reported having a risk assessment, 74% said that changes were made afterwards to reduce risks, with 79% stating that

Job risk factors

Injured respondents were asked to consider 18 job risk factors and to indicate, in their view, the extent to which each was implicated in the development of their musculoskeletal disorder. The job risk factors were based on the 17 factors used by Bork et al. [4] with the addition of ‘lack of staff’ (Table 7).

‘Performing the same task over and over’ was the job risk factor that injured respondents implicated most in the development of their work-related musculoskeletal disorder. By contrast, the

Discussion

The purpose of this study was to establish baseline data on work-related musculoskeletal problems experienced by CSP members: physiotherapists, assistants and students. The study was conducted in response to members’ concerns over work-related musculoskeletal disorders and took place on a random sample of 3661 CSP members. The response rate was 74% (n = 2688), comparing favourably with other studies on physiotherapists that achieved response rates of between 53% and 80% [4], [6], [7], [8], [16],

Acknowledgements

We would like to extend sincere thanks to Dr Jean Cromie, School of Occupational Therapy, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia and Diane West, Consultant Ergonomist, New South Wales, Australia for their kind permission to replicate elements of their research in this study. We also thank Dr Sue Hignett, Lecturer in Ergonomics, Department of Human Sciences, Loughborough University, UK and Dr Amanda E. Young, Researcher, Center for Disability Research, Liberty Mutual Research

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    Work-related musculoskeletal disorders: a survey of physical therapists in Izmir-Turkey

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  • Cited by (0)

    The headline results of this study have been presented at the following:

    • a fringe meeting at the CSP's Annual Representative Conference in Newcastle, UK on 12 May 2004;

    • the conference of the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Occupational Health and Ergonomics in Edinburgh, UK on 13 May 2004;

    • the Fifth International Scientific Conference on the Prevention of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Zurich, Switzerland, 11–15 July 2004;

    • the National Back Exchange Conference, Hinckley, UK, 21 September 2004 and;

    • the CSP Congress, Birmingham, UK, 8–10 October 2004.

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