Health care utilization and workplace interventions for neck and upper limb problems among newspaper workers.

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Musculoskeletal Disorders
• Evidence-Based Practice

Background:

• Limited data exist on therapeutic interventions for working populations at risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).
• Assessing adherence to best practices for MSDs requires understanding current intervention use.
• Newspaper workers reporting neck and upper limb pain were surveyed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the prevalence of various clinical and workplace interventions used by newspaper workers with MSD symptoms.
• To identify factors associated with the use of specific interventions.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional survey of 309 newspaper workers reporting neck and upper limb pain or discomfort.
• Data collected on the types and frequency of interventions used.
• Analysis of intervention use based on symptom frequency, duration, and severity.

Main Results:

• Information/education, exercises, and physical treatments were the most common interventions.
• Workplace modifications were less prevalent among surveyed workers.
• More severe, frequent, or longer-lasting symptoms correlated with increased use of physiotherapy, workplace health practitioners, physical treatments, medications, and devices.

Conclusions:

• A wide range of interventions are employed by workers with MSDs.
• The variety of interventions presents challenges for occupational health practitioners and researchers in evaluating effectiveness.
• Further research is needed to assess adherence to best practices and the efficacy of different interventions for MSDs.