A meta-analysis of the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among rehabilitation therapists

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Objective: To investigate the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) in rehabilitation therapists. Methods: In September 2023, the computer searched Chinese and English databases such as CNKI database, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, VIP Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase database, etc. The retrieval time was from the establishment of the database to September 2023. Musculoskeletal disorders, rehabilitation therapists were selected as search terms, and the author, publication time, prevalence rate, and study type were analyzed. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) tool and The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) were used to evaluate the quality of the literature. Stata 15.0 software was used for meta-analysis. Results: A total of 28 literatures were included, including 8039 rehabilitation therapists. Meta-analysis showed that the overall prevalence rate of WMSDs among rehabilitation therapists was 72% (95%CI: 64%-80%). The top 3 annual prevalence rates were lower back (51%, 95%CI: 38%-64%), neck (42%, 95%CI: 30%-54%) and shoulder (32%, 95%CI: 23%-41%). The top 3 weekly prevalence rates were lower back (47%, 95%CI: 28%-65%), neck (35%, 95%CI: 14%-55%) and back (30%, 95% CI: 17%-44%) . Conclusion: The higher prevalence of WMSDs in rehabilitation therapists, especially in the lower back, neck, shoulder and back, may be related to the prolonged stouching posture and the continuous or repeated exertion of the upper limbs.