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Upper limb repetitive strain injuries in Manitoba
Author(s) -
Yassi Annalee,
Sprout Janet,
Tate Robert
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0274(199610)30:4<461::aid-ajim12>3.0.co;2-2
Subject(s) - medicine , strain (injury) , upper limb , occupational safety and health , physical therapy , physical medicine and rehabilitation , pathology
A review of workers' compensation board (WCB) claims in Manitoba, Canada identified an estimated 382 upper limb repetitive strain injury (RSI) claims or 9.3% of all upper limb WCB claims accepted in 1991. Tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) were the most frequent diagnoses (27.5% and 19.3%, respectively). Rates of RSI were not significantly different by gender and age. RSI claimants had been experiencing symptoms for an average of 8 months prior to filing a compensation claim. While clerical occupations accounted for 13.6% of all upper limb RSI claims, the rates for RSIs in these occupations were low (0.67/1,000 workers), in contrast to occupations with the highest RSI rates: food, beverage, and related processing occupations (14.68/1,000 workers) and fabricating, assembling, and repairing of metal products (9.32/1,000). The highest risk industries were meat and poultry processing‐related (23.48/1,000) and the manufacturing of airplanes (9.06/1,000). RSI claims were significantly more costly ($5,569 vs. $2,480, p <0.0001) and required more time loss (71.4 vs. 33.6 d. p <0.0001) than similar musculoskeletal non‐RSI claims. Similarly, RSI claimants were less likely to return to the same job (67.3% vs. 81.0%, p <0.0001) than non‐RSI claimants. It was concluded that the cost and severity of RSI claims militate for intensified preventive measures. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.