Related Experiment Videos
Ergonomics considerations in hand and wrist tendinitis
T J Armstrong1, L J Fine, S A Goldstein
1Department of Environmental and Industrial Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109.
The Journal of Hand Surgery
|September 1, 1987
Summary
Repetitive and forceful manual work significantly increases the risk of hand and wrist tendinitis in workers. Reducing job demands may prevent this common occupational ailment.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Epidemiology
- Biomechanics
Background:
- Hand and wrist tendinitis is a significant cause of worker suffering and compensation claims.
- Historical data over 100 years highlight tendinitis as a major issue in intensive manual labor.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a historical overview of hand and wrist tendinitis in the workforce.
- To present new data linking manual work characteristics to tendinitis prevalence.
- To explore biomechanical factors and potential job modifications for tendinitis prevention.
Main Methods:
- Review of historical studies on hand and wrist tendinitis.
- Analysis of epidemiological data correlating job repetitiveness and forcefulness with tendinitis risk.
- Investigation of biomechanical factors contributing to tendon strain.
Main Results:
- Epidemiologic data indicate a 29-fold increased risk of hand and wrist tendinitis in highly repetitive and forceful jobs.
- Viscous deformation of tendons and surrounding tissues is a potential biomechanical factor.
- A strong association exists between manual work intensity and tendinitis prevalence.
Conclusions:
- Reducing repetitiveness and forcefulness in manual work may lower the risk of tendinitis.
- Further research is needed to fully test the hypothesis of risk reduction through job modification.
- Understanding biomechanical factors is crucial for developing effective prevention strategies.