[Rotator cuff tear--an occupational disease? An epidemiological analysis]

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Occupational Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Limited data exists on the link between occupation and rotator cuff disease development.
• Rotator cuff disease is a common cause of shoulder pain and dysfunction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between specific occupations and the incidence of rotator cuff tears.
• To determine if occupational load is a risk factor for rotator cuff disease.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 760 open rotator cuff repairs (traumatic tears and sports injuries excluded).
• Statistical comparison of patient professions with regional occupational data.
• Analysis focused on male patients.

Main Results:

• 472 male patients without traumatic rotator cuff tears were analyzed.
• Significantly higher prevalence of rotator cuff tears in individuals from agriculture/forestry (6.38% vs. 1.07% regionally).
• Elevated rates also observed in the building industry (35.11% vs. 13.40% regionally).

Conclusions:

• Occupational exposure is a significant risk factor for rotator cuff tears.
• Ergonomic factors in certain professions likely contribute to the clinical manifestation of these injuries.
• Further research into individual physical exposure is warranted.