Managing Type II Work-related Upper Limb Disorders in Keyboard and Mouse Users Who Remain at Work: A Case Series Report

Povlsen, Bo; Rose, Robyn-Lee

doi:10.1197/j.jht.2007.09.004

Cited by 14 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…This study indicates that keyboard workers with a diagnosis of WRULD who have lost typing endurance to the extent that they can no longer carry out a simple stress-free typing task 5 also developed significantly more severe constant musculoskeletal pain, particular in the right arm, than those who were able to complete the test. This finding is important as previous studies have shown that high pain ratings predict treatment failure in chronic occupational musculoskeletal disorders.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

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Low typing endurance in keyboard workers with work-related upper limb disorder

Povlsen

2011

JRSM Short Reports

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ObjectiveTo compare results of typing endurance and pain before and after a standardized functional test.DesignA standardized previously published typing test on a standard QWERTY keyboard.SettingAn outpatient hospital environment.ParticipantsSixty-one keyboard and mouse operating patients with WRULD and six normal controls.Main outcome measurePain severity before and after the test, typing endurance and speed were recorded.ResultsThirty-two patients could not complete the test before pain reached VAS 5 and this group only typed a mean of 11 minutes. The control group and the remaining group of 29 patients completed the test. Two-tailed student T test was used for evaluation. The endurance was significantly shorter in the patient group that could not complete the test (P < 0.00001) and the pain levels were also higher in this group both before (P = 0.01) and after the test (P = 0.0003). Both patient groups had more pain in the right than the left hand, both before and after typing.ConclusionsLow typing endurance correlates statistically with more resting pain in keyboard and mouse operators with work-related upper limb disorder and statistically more pain after a standardized typing test. As the right hands had higher pain levels, typing alone may not be the cause of the pain as the left hand on a QWERTY keyboard does relative more keystrokes than the right hand.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…Patients with pain levels at 5 or above were excluded in order to avoid unacceptable levels of post-typing pain. The objective assessment included a standardized typing test which has been described previously 4,5 which was conducted at a standardized workstation using a standard QWERTY keyboard.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low typing endurance in keyboard workers with work-related upper limb disorder

Povlsen

2011

JRSM Short Reports

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“…The objective assessment included a standardized typing test as described by Povlsen and Rose 5 was conducted at a standardized workstation. An inclusion criterion was resting pain of less than 5.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is Typing Speed Proportional to the Severity of Pain in Keyboard Workers with Work-related Upper Limb Disorder

Povlsen

2012

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ObjectivesTo investigate if typing speed is proportional to the severity of pain in keyboard workers with work-related upper limb disorder (WRULD).DesignStandardized functional typing test with participants scoring pain before and after typing; calculation of typing speed.ParticipantsFifty-nine patients and six controls.SettingTertiary hospital centre for hand and upper limb pain.Main outcome measuresPain (VAS 0–10) and calculation of typing speed as words per minute.ResultsThree subgroups of patients were found based on their typing speed: fast, slow and intermediate. Two-tailed student T-test with P level at 0.05 was used for evaluation. The typing speeds were significantly different between all three patient groups (P < 0.05). The typing speed was significantly faster in the fastest patient group than in the control group (P = 0.04) and the slow and middle groups (P = < 0.0001). The pain before typing was highest in the ‘slow’ group, in both hands but this difference was not statistically significant.ConclusionTyping speed is not proportional to the severity of pain in keyboard workers with WRULD. Patients with statistically significant slower or faster typing speeds do not have statistically different levels of pain.

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“…• Education and activity modification/ ergonomics 2 have been shown in the literature to be important in the treatment of tendinopathy. 5,17 • Soft tissue massage to reduce tight musculature has been shown to decrease pain and promote fluid drainage from tissue. 10 • Taping using either kinesiology tape or rigid tape is used during the splint weaning phase or in very mild cases of De Quervain's tenosynovitis.…”

Section: Splintingmentioning

confidence: 99%