A review of functional status measures for workers with upper extremity disorders

Abstract

In order to identify functional status measures for epidemiological studies among workers with mild to moderate disorders of the neck and upper extremity, a literature search was conducted for the years 1966 to 2001. Inclusion criteria were: (1) relevance to neck and upper extremity; (2) assessment among workers; and (3) relevance to mild to moderate disorders. Of 13 instruments reviewed, six measures were tested among workers. The three best measures, depending on the purpose of research, included the standardised Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, the Upper Extremity Questionnaire, and the Neck and Upper Limb Instrument. Development of a functional protocol is regarded as a realistic enhancement for research of neck and upper extremity disorders in the workplace. For research and clinical practice, measures of functional status, sensitive enough to measure the subtle conditions in mild to moderate disorders, may provide prognostic information about the risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders in apparently healthy patients. Appropriate use of functional status questionnaires is imperative for a meaningful portrayal of health.

Socioeconomic conditions and health hazards of brick field workers: A case study of Mymensingh brick industrial area of Bangladesh

“…Workers working in the brick manufacturing units suffered from musculoskeletal problems due to awkward working postures (Trevelyan and Haslam, 2001;Chung and Kee, 2000) and also suffer from assorted health problems due to handling of heavy loads without taking adequate rest breaks (Mukhopadhyay, 2008). Various risk factors are involved, including biomechanical and environmental conditions such as physical work load, unfavorable body posture, vibration, psychosocial factors such as time, pressure and repetitive or monotonous tasks (Ariens et al, 2000;Bongers et al, 2002;Cromie et al, 2002;Salerno et al, 2002). Despite advancement in mechanization has greatly reduced physical stress on the brick field workers, it still remains the most physically demanding occupations (Gallagher, 1999).…”

Validity of Nordic-style questionnaires in the surveillance of upper-limb work-related musculoskeletal disorders

“…Various questionnaires developed for musculoskeletal disorders can be used to assess functional status (5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12). However, they are better adapted to a clinical context than to a surveillance context.…”

Functional Measures Developed for Clinical Populations Identified Impairment Among Active Workers with Upper Extremity Disorders

“…As described in a review of functional measures for workers with UE MSDs, few measures have been developed specifically for identifying mild levels of impairment in relatively healthy working populations [28]. Salerno et al recommended three measures that were developed for research application as the most relevant measures for mild UE conditions: the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), the Neck and Upper Limb Instrument (NULI), and the UEQ which included items from which our work limitations outcome was derived [28].…”

“…Salerno et al recommended three measures that were developed for research application as the most relevant measures for mild UE conditions: the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), the Neck and Upper Limb Instrument (NULI), and the UEQ which included items from which our work limitations outcome was derived [28]. Although several measures including the DASH and FSS have been used in previous studies of workers, few studies have tested their performance among workers with mild to moderate UE conditions [28, 19–21]. Our findings provide new evidence supporting the use of these measures in a mildly impaired population, even though they were primarily designed for clinical application.…”

“…It is unclear how well measures designed for clinical populations perform in relatively healthy active working populations [19, 20] and whether the response scales are able to capture functional limitations corresponding to early stage disease [28]. Using functional measures in working populations may identify early stages of disease, allowing for interventions to improve work ability, prevent disability, and promote return to work following injury [29, 19–21].…”