Journal of Paramedical Sciences & Rehabilitation

Journal of Paramedical Sciences & Rehabilitation

The Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Impairments and Its Relationship with Functional Disability in the Upper Extremity of Registered Nurses of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
S.A Derakhshanrad 1
Sh Alamdarifar 2
B Zeynalzadeh Ghoochani 3
1 Assistant professor, PhD of Occupational Therapy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
2 BSc of Occupational Therapy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
3 PhD of Occupational Therapy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
10.22038/jpsr.2017.13909.1291
Abstract
Purpose:
Impairment means a deficit in the body structure such as the musculoskeletal system. Functional disability refers to the negative aspects of the interaction between the individual and the environment. Examining the relationship between impairment and disability determines the role of impairment in making disability. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of upper extremity musculoskeletal impairment and the relationship between the impairment with functional disability of registered hospital nurses.
Methods:
This cross-sectional observational study conducted at three affiliated hospitals of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences during two months period. Seventy two qualified nurses that were available in nurses’ station of hospitals at the time of sampling were studied. Data were collected by two self-reported questionnaires, NORDIC and DASH. The prevalence of impairments in different areas of upper extremity were estimated. Level of disability between two groups of cases with and without impairment were tested by T-test. Correlation between impairment and disability was assessed using Eta correlation coefficient.
Results:
70.8% of study population reported impairment in at least one area of their upper extremity. The mean score of DASH was 19.2±15.7. The level of disability was significantly higher in people with impairment than those without impairment (p=0.018). However, Eta correlation coefficient equated to 0.28 showed weak correlation between impairment and disability in the present study.
Conclusion:
While the prevalence of upper extremity musculoskeletal impairment was relatively high, the score of 19.2 in DASH questionnaire implied the low level of disability. Weak correlation between impairment and disability in this study may be due to non-linearity and complexity of the relationship between these two factors that necessitates more precise inspections and further studies.
Keywords
Musculoskeletal impairment
Functional disability
Upper extremity
Nurses
Subjects
  1. World Health Organization. International classification of functioning, disability and health: ICF: World Health Organization; 2001.
  2.  Hertling D, Kessler RM. Management of Common Musculoskeletal Disorders: Physical Therapy Principles and Methods: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2006.
  3. Dhimitri KC, McGwin Jr G, McNeal SF, Lee P, Morse PA, Patterson M, et al. Symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders in ophthalmologists. American journal of ophthalmology 2005; 139(1): 179-81.
  4. Sharifniya HAA, Haji Hoseini F. Study of relationship between musculoskeletal disorder and ergonomic factors among nurses. Kumesh. 2011; 12(4): 372-8 .[Persian] 
  5. Kee D, Seo SR. Musculoskeletal disorders among nursing personnel in Korea. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 2007;37(3):207-12. 
  6. Rahimi AF. Study of prevalence of spinal cord pain among nurses in Hamedan hospitals. Journal of Iran university of medical science 2006; 51: 105-15. [Persian] 
  7. Guite JW, Logan DE, Sherry DD, Rose JB. Adolescent self-perception: associations with chronic musculoskeletal pain and functional disability. The Journal of Pain 2007; 8(5): 379-86. 
  8. Aptel M, Aublet-Cuvelier A, Claude Cnockaert J. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders of the upper limb. Joint Bone Spine 2002; 69(6): 546-55. 
  9. Buckle PW, Jason Devereux J. The nature of work-related neck and upper limb musculoskeletal disorders. Applied ergonomics 2002; 33(3): 207-17. 
  10. Punnett L, Wegman DH. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders: the epidemiologic evidence and the debate. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology 2004; 14(1): 13-23.
  11. Pedretti LW, Pendleton HMH, Schultz-Krohn W. Pedretti's Occupational Therapy: Practice Skills for Physical Dysfunction: Mosby/Elsevier; 2006.
  12. Winkelstein BA. Mechanisms of central sensitization, neuroimmunology & injury biomechanics in persistent pain: implications for musculoskeletal disorders. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology 2004; 14(1): 87-93. 
  13. Alexopoulos EC, Stathi I-C, Charizani F. Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in dentists. BMC musculoskeletal disorders 2004; 5(1): 16.
  14. Trinkoff AM, Lipscomb JA, Geiger-Brown J, Storr CL, Brady BA. Perceived physical demands and reported musculoskeletal problems in registered nurses. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2003; 24(3): 270-5. 
  15. Choobineh A, Rajaeefard A, Neghab M. Association between perceived demands and musculoskeletal disorders among hospital nurses of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences: a questionnaire survey. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics 2006; 12(4): 409-16. 
  16. Badley EM, Lee J. Impairment, disability, and the ICIDH model I: The relationship between impairment and disability. Disability & Rehabilitation 1986; 8(3): 113-7. 
  17. Smith DR, Sato M, Miyajima T, Mizutani T, Yamagata Z. Musculoskeletal disorders self-reported by female nursing students in central Japan: a complete cross-sectional survey. International journal of nursing studies 2003; 40(7): 725-9.
  18. Choobineh A, Neghab M. Perceived demands and musculoskeletal disorders among hospital nurses. Hakim Research Journal 2007; 10(2): 70-6. [Persian] 
  19. Kuorinka I, Jonsson B, Kilbom A, Vinterberg H, Biering-Sørensen F, Andersson G, et al. Standardised Nordic questionnaires for the analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms. Applied ergonomics 1987; 18(3): 233-7. 
  20. Hudak P, Amadio P, Bombardier C, Upper Extremity Collaborative Group. Development of an upper extremity health status instrument: the DASH (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand). Am J Ind Med 1996; 29(6): 602-8. 
  21. Mousavi SJ, Parnianpour M, Abedi M, Askary-Ashtiani A, Karimi A, Khorsandi A, et al. Cultural adaptation and validation of the Persian version of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) outcome measure. Clinical rehabilitation 2008; 22(8): 749-57. 
  22. Rubin A. Statistics for Evidence-Based Practice and Evaluation. 2nd ed. Canada: Belmont: Cengage Learning; 2009. 
  23. Lyle MA, Manes S, McGuinness M, Ziaei S, Iversen MD. Relationship of physical examination findings and self-reported symptom severity and physical function in patients with degenerative lumbar conditions. Physical therapy 2005; 85(2): 120-33. 
  24. Goldberger AL. Non-linear dynamics for clinicians: chaos theory, fractals, and complexity at the bedside. The Lancet 1996; 347(9011): 1312-4. 
  25. Jester A, Harth A, Wind G, Germann G, Sauerbier M. Disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) questionnaire: determining functional activity profiles in patients with upper extremity disorders. The Journal of Hand Surgery: British & European Volume 2005; 30(1): 23-8. 
  26. Jette AM. Outcomes research: shifting the dominant research paradigm in physical therapy. Physical Therap 1995; 75(11): 965-70. 
  27. Derakhshanrad SA, Ghanbary A, Sheikhi M, Derakhshanrad SM. Comparison of a Performance-Based Test Results with Two Self-Reported Questionnaires in Determining the Rate of Disability in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain. Journal of Rehabilitation 2011; 12(3): 8-15.
  28. Chiu TT, Lam T-H, Hedley AJ. Correlation among physical impairments, pain, disability, and patient satisfaction in patients with chronic neck pain. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation 2005; 86(3): 534-40.
  29. Hermann KM, Reese CS. Relationships among selected measures of impairment, functional limitation, and disability in patients with cervical spine disorders. Physical Therapy. 2001;81(3):903-12. 
  30. OH K. Life (Al Hayat). Available from: http: //www. iiu. edu. My/ medic/ isimed/ lesmed.Cited:2009/March/31.
  31. Roh YH, Lee BK, Noh JH, Oh JH, Gong HS, Baek GH. Effect of depressive symptoms on perceived disability in patients with chronic shoulder pain. Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery 2012; 132(9): 1251-7.

Journal of Paramedical Sciences & Rehabilitation
Volume 6, Issue 2
Spring 2017
Pages 7-14