An ergonomics study on the evaluation of carpal tunnel syndrome among Chikan embroidery workers of West Bengal, India.
01 Jul 2015-International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health (Taylor & Francis)-Vol. 21, Iss: 3, pp 199-206
TL;DR: Chikan embroidery is a hand-intensive occupation involving repetitive use of hands and wrists and this study population is at risk of experiencing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).
Abstract: Background:Chikan embroidery is a popular handicraft in India that involves hand-intensive stitching while seated in a static posture with the upper back curved and the head bent over the fabric. Women perform most Chikan embroidery.Objectives:The aim of this study was to analyze the repetitive nature of this work among female Chikan embroiderers by measuring the prevalence of upper extremity discomfort and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).Methods:The Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire was used to analyze the extent of upper extremity pain symptomology. The repetitive nature of Chikan embroidery work was evaluated using the Assessment of Repetitive Tasks of the upper limbs tool (ART). Motor nerve conduction studies of median and ulnar nerves were performed with embroidery workers and a control group to determine the risk of CTS.Results:Among embroidery workers, the prevalence of wrist pain was 68% and forearm pain was 60%. The embroiderers also commonly reported Tingling and numbness in the hands an...
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TL;DR: The International Labor Organization is one of the most powerful factors for molding general public sentiment regarding labor conditions and can force its solution of any problem upon a state.
Abstract: The International Labor Organization is based on the existence of an international labor problem. Various attempts have been made by individual governments to deal with this problem, but improved transportation, communication, and economic interdependence make it possible to deal with the problem internationally. The World War focused attention on the problem. The makers of the Versailles Treaty gave due consideration to this problem and formed an organization for dealing with it. The machinery consists of an International Labor Office and a General Conference. Items are brought before the Conference by means of draft conventions and recommendations. The office is open all year, and the conference meets at least once a year. Accomplishments of the organization are the dissemination of information, introduction of new systems of labor, reduction of hours of labor, elimination of nightwork of women and children, rights of combination between any groups of laborers, establishment of free employment exchange,...
105 citations
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TL;DR: The objective of the present work is to review the literature on the application of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) on a worldwide level and conclude that the NMQ has been applied mainly in three sectors: “activities related to treating human health and social issues”, “manufacturing industries” and “agriculture, livestock, fishing, and forestry”.
Abstract: Sustainability seeks to provide economically viable products in an environmentally friendly way while respecting worker rights. Physical wellbeing forms part of these rights. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) diminish productivity, cause absence from work, impose costs on the public health system and can cast doubt on the sustainability of a company or a product. The objective of the present work is to review the literature on the application of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) on a worldwide level. In this work, the use of the NMQ has been classified by categories of knowledge, countries and years. The search was made using “Web of Science-Core Collection”. In total, 259 articles were chosen from scientific journals and conferences related, according to the title and or abstract, to the practical application of the questionnaire. In conclusion, the NMQ has been applied mainly in three sectors: “activities related to treating human health and social issues”, “manufacturing industries”, and “agriculture, livestock, fishing, and forestry”. The NMQ is an indirect method commonly used individually or complemented with other methods for evaluating the MSD and possible associated psychosocial and labour risks. The use of NMQ can help in the evaluation of the sustainability of a company.
46 citations
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20 Jun 2020
TL;DR: In this article, the authors have shown that the repetitive nature of handicraft work causes wrist pain, grip fatigue, and other musculoskeletal disorders among women which are multiplied with house chores.
Abstract: Indian handicrafts industry provides important segment of decentralization in India and huge employment opportunities are given to artisans including women and backward and weaker society people through this industry. Women give heavy involvement in handicraft production, but their contribution is often veiled by discourses that marginalize them providing very little critical analysis of women’s handicrafts. Grip strength is a generally used to refer the physical strength or muscular power to be generated with the hands. Results at various platforms have shown significant differences for handgrip strength (in kg) between male and female workers and to women majorly in handicraft sector. The repetitive nature of handicraft work causes wrist pain, grip fatigue, and other musculoskeletal disorders among women which are multiplied with house chores. The improved tools are helpful in reducing the grip fatigue and in increasing the work efficiency. Government and other supports to women in handicrafts sector are highly required to reduce the drudgery of women, to make the policies reach women with technical advancements, and to promote the traditional designs with new concepts.
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TL;DR: In this article , a systematic review aimed to identify the add-on biopsychosocial implications of lumbopelvic pain (LPP) among women in the Indian community.
Abstract: In general, women appear to report lumbopelvic pain (LPP) more frequently. In addition to the biomechanical risks, this systematic review aimed to identify the add-on biopsychosocial implications of LPP among women in the Indian community. PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, PEDro, and Google Scholar were searched twice from inception to a final systematic literature search in December 2022. All studies addressing Indian women with LPP were selected. Studies on non-musculoskeletal LPP were excluded. Qualities of non-experimental and experimental research articles were assessed through the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist and Cochrane risk of bias criteria for Effective Practice and Organization of Care reviewsrespectively. Data synthesis was narrative as the selected studies differed substantially. Habitual squatting, kneeling, and continuous sitting were identified as ergonomic risks to LPP. Menopause, cesarean, and multiple deliveries influence the onset of LPP among women. There is a severe deficit in data about the musculoskeletal implications of LPP. There are insufficient data present to summarize the biopsychosocial risks of LPP. Even the exact anatomical sites of LPP were not described in most articles. Due to the severe scarcity of data, there is an alarming need to explore the musculoskeletal as well as psychosocial consequences of LPP in Indian women. Among rural women, LPP was common in those working as laborers; which are physically robust jobs with respect to strength and anthropometrics of women. Domestic chores in India involve a lot of manual work; placing unequal loads on the lumbar spine, eventually resulting in LPP. Therefore ergonomic strategies for women should be designed to meet the needs and demands of their respective occupations as well as domestic chores.
References
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TL;DR: The proposed cut off points, which are less arbitrary and more internationally based than current alternatives, should help to provide internationally comparable prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in children.
Abstract: Objective To develop an internationally acceptable definition of child overweight and obesity, specifying the measurement, the reference population, and the age and sex specific cut off points. Design International survey of six large nationally representative cross sectional growth studies. Setting Brazil, Great Britain, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Singapore, and the United States. Subjects 97 876 males and 94 851 females from birth to 25 years of age. Main outcome measure Body mass index (weight/height 2 ). Results For each of the surveys, centile curves were drawn that at age 18 years passed through the widely used cut off points of 25 and 30 kg/m 2 for adult overweight and obesity. The resulting curves were averaged to provide age and sex specific cut off points from 2›18 years. Conclusions The proposed cut off points, which are less arbitrary and more internationally based than current alternatives, should help to provide internationally comparable prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in children.
14,038 citations
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TL;DR: Standardised questionnaires for the analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms in an ergonomic or occupational health context are presented and specific characteristics of work strain are reflected in the frequency of responses to the questionnaires.
Abstract: Standardised questionnaires for the analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms in an ergonomic or occupational health context are presented. The questions are forced choice variants and may be either self-administered or used in interviews. They concentrate on symptoms most often encountered in an occupational setting. The reliability of the questionnaires has been shown to be acceptable. Specific characteristics of work strain are reflected in the frequency of responses to the questionnaires.
4,037 citations
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TL;DR: A technique is described which enables the distribution of discomfort in the body, and its change during the work poriod, to be recorded to indicate points of inadequate man-machine compatibility as well as permitting the evaluation of the effectiveness of machine designs.
Abstract: A technique is described which enables the distribution of discomfort in the body, and its change during the work poriod, to he recorded. The recorded data indicate points of inadequate man-machine compatibility as well as permitting the evaluation of the effectiveness of machine designs. When used in conjunction with moasures of production performance the technique provides direct evidence of the benefits of orgonomic changes. Its use is illustrated in relation to a study of spot welders.
886 citations
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TL;DR: The exclusion of the relatively normal distal latency made it possible to demonstrate mild slowing across the carpal tunnel in 36 (21Per cent) sensory and 40 (23 per cent) motor axons of 172 affected nerves when the conventional terminal latencies were normal.
Abstract: Palmar stimulation was used to assess median nerve conduction across the carpal tunnel in 61 control patients and 105 patients with the carpal tunnel syndrome. With serial stimulation from midpalm to distal forearm the sensory axons normally showed a predictable latency change of 0.16 to 0.21 ms/cm as the stimulus site was moved proximally in 1 cm increments. In 47 (52 per cent) of 91 affected nerves tested serially, there was a sharply localized latency increase across a 1 cm segment, most commonly 2 to 4 cm distally to the origin of the transverse carpal ligament. In these hands, the focal latency change across the affected 1 cm segment (mean +/- SD: 0.80 +/- 0.22 ms/cm) averaged more than four times that of the adjoining distal (0.19 +/- 0.09 ms/cm) or proximal 1 cm segments (0.19 +/- 0.08 ms/cm). In the remaining 44 (48 per cent) hands, the latency increase was distributed more evenly across the carpal tunnel. Unlike the sensory axons the motor axons were difficult to test serially because of the recurrent course of the thenar nerve, which may be contained in a separate tunnel. The wrist-to-palm latency was significantly greater in the patients with carpal tunnel syndromes than in the controls for sensory (2.18 +/- 0.48 ms v 1.41 +/- 0.18 ms) and motor axons (2.79 +/- 0.93 ms v 1.50 +/- 0.21 ms). Consequently, there was considerable difference between the carpal tunnel syndromes and controls in SNCV (38.5 +/- 7.5 m/s v 57.3 +/- 6.9 m/s), and MNCV (28.2 +/- 4.5 m/s v 49.0 +/- 5.7 m/s). In the remaining distal segment, however, there was only a small difference between the two groups in sensory (1.48 +/- 0.28 ms v 1.41 +/- 0.22 ms) and motor latency (2.15 +/- 0.34 ms v 2.10 +/- 0.31 ms). The exclusion of the relatively normal distal latency made it possible to demonstrate mild slowing across the carpal tunnel in 36 (21 per cent) sensory and 40 (23 per cent) motor axons of 172 affected nerves when the conventional terminal latencies were normal. Sensory or motor conduction abnormalities were found in all but 13 (8 per cent) hands. Without palmar stimulation, however, an additional 32 (19 per cent) hands would have been regarded as normal.
725 citations
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TL;DR: The authors measured intracarpal canal pressures with the wick catheter in fifteen patients with carpal tunnel syndrome and in twelve control subjects, finding that the mean pressure in the carpal canal was elevated significantly in the patients.
Abstract: We measured intracarpal canal pressures with the wick catheter in fifteen patients with carpal tunnel syndrome and in twelve control subjects. The mean pressure in the carpal canal was elevated significantly in the patients. When the wrist was in neutral position, the mean pressure was thirty-two millimeters of mercury. With 90 degrees of wrist flexion the pressure increased to ninety-four millimeters of mercury, while with 90 degrees of wrist extension the mean pressure was 110 millimeters of mercury. The pressure in the control subjects with the wrist in neutral position was 2.5 millimeters of mercury; with wrist flexion the pressure rose to thirty-one millimeters of mercury, and with wrist extension it increased to thirty millimeters of mercury. Carpal tunnel release brought about an immediate and sustained reduction in pressure.
679 citations