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Work-related musculoskeletal pain in prosthetists and orthotists: a comparison between Australia and other countries
Sarah Anderson1, Victoria Weale2, Rwth Stuckey2
1School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, College of Science Health and Engineering, La Trobe University, Melbourne Australia.
Background:
Musculoskeletal pain (MSP) is a substantial societal and personal burden resulting in loss of employment and reduced productivity. Prosthetics and orthotics professionals working in Australia have previously reported a high prevalence of MSP; however, little is known about the prosthetic and orthotic communities in other countries.
Objectives:
To explore the prevalence and range of workplace exposures associated with MSP in a convenience sample of the international prosthetic and orthotic profession.
Study Design:
A cross-sectional study using a convenience sample was conducted with prosthetists and orthotists worldwide.
Methods:
Prosthetists and orthotists were invited to participate in a survey to explore work-related factors associated with MSP. Bivariate and regression modelling was used to examine associations between self-reported demographic and workplace characteristics including job satisfaction, work-life balance, and physical and psychosocial hazards.
Results:
Seventy-six percent of respondents (n = 173) reported MSP in the previous 6 months. However, MSP was associated with different factors in Australia compared with other countries. Among Australia-based prosthetists and orthotists, MSP was associated with sex, physical hazards, and psychosocial hazards. For the international sample, MSP was only associated with length of employment.
Conclusions:
Three-quarters of all respondents reported having MSP. Differences in associations between MSP and other factors by respondents' geographical location suggest the need for context-specific identification of hazards to enable the development of targeted and contextually appropriate prevention strategies.
