Patient Factors Affect Ergonomic Strain of Endoscopists During Colonoscopy

Endoscopic procedures place a great deal of muscular strain on providers, especially over the span of their careers. In this study we quantitatively analyzed the effects of patient factors such as age, body mass index, and sex on the ergonomics of endoscopists performing colonoscopies.

Surface electromyography (sEMG) was used to measure ergonomic strain of physicians while performing colonoscopies in several key muscle groups. The percent of the maximum voluntary contraction (%MVC) was used as a measure of muscular strain. Data was then analyzed based on the patient characteristics above.

Endoscopists performing colonoscopies on female patients (n = 47) experienced significantly higher ergonomic strain in their right trapezius and right posterior forearm muscle groups when compared to colonoscopies performed on males (n = 35) (%MVC R-trapezius: Male: 8.2; Female: 8.9; p = 0.048); (%MVC R-posterior forearm: Male: 10.4; Female: 11.6; p = 0.0006). Operators experienced greater strain in the same muscle groups when performing colonoscopies on patients with BMI ≤ 25 (n = 25) when compared to patients with BMI > 25 (n = 57) (%MVC R-trapezius: BMI < 25: 9.7; BMI ≥ 25: 8.2; p = 0.0002); (%MVC R-posterior forearm: BMI < 25: 11.9; BMI ≥ 25: 10.8; p = 0.0001).

Physicians experienced greater ergonomic strain when performing colonoscopies on female patients and on patients with a BMI < 25. We believe that these factors potentially impact the tortuosity of the colon and therefore influence the difficulty of navigating the endoscope. These results may aid physicians in gauging the anticipated difficulty of colonoscopies based on patient factors. Increased awareness of their posturing and ergonomics during challenging cases will alleviate musculoskeletal injuries in the long run.