Relationship Between Work Experience and Risk of Neuropathic Pain Among Loading--Unloading Workers

Abstract

Lifting and transporting activities are the most common tasks in the logistics sector, especially for loading-unloading workers. The workers continuously lift heavy loads, which leads to pain in the waist, back, arms, and legs. Neuropathic pain is a type of pain caused by peripheral nerve lesions. The aim of this study was to find the relationship between the different levels of work experience and the risk of neuropathic pain among loading-unloading workers. We used descriptive analytics as the method of the study. 65 healthy men aged 20-55 years, without health issues or diabetes mellitus, and active loading-unloading workers were recruited as study respondents. They were divided into three groups based on their different levels of work experience. We utilized the Leeds assessment of neuropathic symptoms and signs (LANSS) questionnaire to check whether the participant was at risk for neuropathic pain. Our results showed that 43% of participants identified as having less, 28% as middle, and 29% as having more work experience. Furthermore, work experience is significantly correlated to the risk of neuropathic pain (P<0.000). We concluded that the more experienced loading workers are, the more likely they are to experience neuropathic pain.
 Keywords: work experience, peripheral-neuropathy, pain, loading workers