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The Strain Index and TLV for HAL : Risk of lateral epicondylitis in a prospective cohort
Author(s) -
Garg Arun,
Kapellusch Jay M.,
Hegmann Kurt T.,
Thiese Matthew S.,
Merryweather Andrew S.,
Wang YingChih,
Malloy Elizabeth J.
Publication year - 2014
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/ajim.22279
Subject(s) - medicine , epicondylitis , hazard ratio , psychosocial , cohort , prospective cohort study , demographics , physical therapy , demography , surgery , psychiatry , confidence interval , elbow , sociology
Background This study's objective was to quantify exposure‐response relationships between job physical exposure (JPE) and incidence of lateral epicondylitis (LE). Methods A cohort of 536 workers was enrolled from 10 manufacturing facilities and followed monthly for 6 years to ascertain changes in JPE and health status. JPE was individually measured and quantified using the Strain Index (SI) and TLV for HAL. Worker demographics, medical history, psychosocial factors, and current musculoskeletal disorders were obtained. Results Fifty‐six workers developed LE. In multivariate models JPE, age, family problems, and swimming were associated with increased risk of LE. SI showed an exposure‐response relationship with maximum hazard ratio (HR) of 4.5( P = 0.04). TLV for HAL showed a non‐statistically significant trend for increased risk of LE ( P = 0.19). Conclusion JPE is associated with increased risk of LE. The SI and TLV for HAL are useful metrics for estimating JPE. Am. J. Ind. Med. 57:286–302, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.