Clinical and radiological evaluation of wrist pain in stonecutters (Under Embargo)

Abstract

Background: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) of the upper limb, particularly the wrist and hand represent a substantial proportion of work-related illnesses and are associated with relatively high medical costs and loss of work. The risk factors for developing such disorders include individual factors, physical requirements at the workplace, organizational and psychosocial factors. Stone quarrying work involves moderate to heavy manual work and most of the work activities involve high risk to the wrist and hand. Laterite and granite stones are commonly quarried as dimensional stone in the west coast of South India. Hence these stonecutters are susceptible for developing chronic wrist pain and associated WMSDs of the wrist and hand. There are no studies available on the prevalence and type of WMSDs of the wrist and the biopsychosocial risk factors in the stonecutters of India. Clinically wrist conditions can be recognized by the presence of pain, tenderness to palpation, restricted range of motion (ROM) of the joints and reduced grip and pinch strength. Norms for ROM of the wrist and grip strength are already available for various populations around the world, but not for Indian population. Aims of the study: The current study is aimed to investigate the prevalence, charecteristics of and risk factors for wrist pain and associated WMSDs in stonecutters through a descriptive cross-sectional survey employing clinical and radiological evaluation. A preliminary aim was to establish normative data for range of motion of the wrist, grip strength and pinch strength for the local population of India.