Ergonomic Risk Assessment and Upper Limb Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Physiotherapists

Abstract

Ergonomic risk in a workplace environment can result in musculoskeletal disorders in physiotherapists because of their demanding work. It is a major contributor to musculoskeletal upper limb disorders (WRULDs) and work-related upper limb disorders. This study examines the ergonomics hazards and their connection with WRULDs among physiotherapists. Cross-sectional research was done to investigate ergonomic risk and work-related upper limb problems. 204 physiotherapists, ages 24 to 40, from clinical settings in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, who had at least a year's experience and most of them worked five hours a day, made up the sample. A standardized Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire was used to assess WRULDs, together with demographic information. Using a Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) sheet and the pen and paper observational method, the posture was evaluated. The mean age of the research participants was 28.21±3.04, with a mean BMI of 22.94±3.75. In the study, 62% of physiotherapists had reported upper limb disorders. The order of pain was shoulder > wrist > elbow. Postural assessment on the RULA scale showed a mean of 4.26 ±1.18. The result showed that 112 (65.8%) participants were at a low level of risk, 49 (28.8%) of participants were at medium risk, and 9 (5.2%) were at a high level of risk. WRULDs were substantially correlated with ergonomic risk (9.488) (p-value<0.05), according to the chi-square test analysis. The elbow was not shown to be substantially related to ergonomic hazards (p-value>0.05), however, the shoulder and wrist were (p-value<0.05). The study concluded that ergonomic risk is common among physiotherapists, and there is a need to change working posture by adjusting workstation heights, encouraging regular breaks for stretching exercises, and promoting the use of ergonomic tools. It is further concluded that there is an association between ergonomic risk and musculoskeletal problems of the upper limb. The findings emphasize the need for workplace interventions to improve postures and mitigate upper limb musculoskeletal risks among physiotherapists.