Occupational Determinants of Musculoskeletal Disorders

Abstract

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) related to working conditions are the leading cause of work disability. MSD related to work is due to non-traumatic injury of soft tissue structures such as the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves that are caused and/or exacerbated by a person’s interactions with the work environment. Diagnostic criteria for MSD differ for different disorders, ranging from clinical diagnoses based on symptoms and signs for some to diagnoses based on structural and functional criteria for others. MSDs are multifactorial disorders, where both nonoccupational factors and occupational factors interact in both etiology and recovery. Biomechanical exposures increase risk for MSD based on their intensity (or level), frequency, and duration. Exposures can be estimated through expert judgments, systematic observations, and direct measurements or through use of a job exposure matrix. Psychosocial factors may play an important role in recovery and disability from MSD, and in non-specific pain disorders, and can be defined on many scales based on validated questionnaires.