The effectiveness of the intervention in the workplace on patients suffering from Cervicobrachial disorder / 대한산업의학회지

OBJECTIVES: In order to reveal the effectiveness of the intervention in the workplace on patients suffering from cervicobrachial disorder (CBD), we reexamined 96 workers out of 137 workers suffering from CBD on the assembly lines of an electric manufacturing factory by using questionnaires, physical exams and neurological exams. METHODS: Analyses were made of the characteristics of the 96 workers of this company suffering from 1994 to 1996 with special concern for differences before and after the improvement of the working environment. After reexamination of the 96 patients the following results were obtained. RESULTS: We observed an improvement in the 10 most common subjective symptoms of CBD. These symptoms included general fatigue, pain on neck and shoulders, dullness of the upper extremities, back pain and discomfort and a tingling sensation in the hands and wrists (p < 0. 05). The percentage of workers who complained muscle tenderness of neck and shoulder were reduced (p < 0.05). the percentage of workers with abnormal Morley examination was reduced from 28. 5% to 2. 100 (p < 0.01), and of workers with abnormal EMG finding went from 12. 4% to 2. lao (p < 0. 01) and of grade 3 and grade 4 CBD was reduced from 42. 3% and 18. 3% respectively to 33. 3% and 2. ba (p < 0. 01). Grade 3 and over laborers of CBD had higher scores in somatization, anxiety, depression, hostility, interpersonal sensitivity, phobic anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, neurasthenic, hypochondriacal than other sufferers in the SCL-90-R exam (p < 0. 01). CONCLUSIONS: in conclusion intervention had effectiveness on subjective symptoms of neck and shoulder and decreasing abnormal finding of muscle tenderness, neurological examination and EMG.

The Prevalence and Characteristics of Cumulative Traumatic Disorders

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the current status and the basic information of cumulative traumatic disorder among workers. METHOD: The subjects were 198 workers, consisted of 100 shipspublisher workers, 155 telephone operators and 43 light workers. Workers were surveyed with a standardized self- administered questionnaire and examed by the occupational medicine doctors and physiatrists for the cumulative traumatic disorders. Laboratory tests, nerve conduction studies and X-rays of the C-spine and shoulders were performed in all subjects. RESULT AND CONCLUSION: Myofascial pain syndrome was the most frequent problem in the shipspublisher and telephone operators. As a result of the multiple logistic regression analysis, cycle time, palm pinch, lumbar and neck flexion were the significant variables accounting for the musculoskeletal symptoms.