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Vibration‐induced neuropathy among forestry workers
Author(s) -
Färkkilä M.,
Aatola S.,
Starck J.,
Pyykkö I.,
Korhonen O.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
acta neurologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.967
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1600-0404
pISSN - 0001-6314
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0404.1985.tb03192.x
Subject(s) - polyneuropathy , medicine , physical medicine and rehabilitation , peripheral neuropathy , foot (prosody) , alcohol consumption , physical therapy , surgery , alcohol , diabetes mellitus , endocrinology , biology , linguistics , philosophy , biochemistry
– The neurological findings of 217 forestry workers were evaluated during a compulsory annual health examination. Vibration detection thresholds were determined for the left hand and foot. The handgrip forces were measured for both hands. A reduction in the vibration detection threshold or handgrip force was not associated with clinical neuropathy. Polyneuropathy was found in 4% of the lumberjacks whereas neuropathy restricted to the arms was found in 7.5 % of the lumberjacks. The neuropathic findings were not linked with alcohol consumption but were associated with a history of numbness in the hands and diminished muscle force. The findings support the concept that local vibration can cause neuropathy in the arms, but the mechanism of vibration‐induced neuropathy still remains uncertain.