Clinico Epidemiological Profile of Repetitive Stress Injuries in Computer Professionals of West Coast of India

Abstract

Repetitive Stress Injury can be regarded as a modern-day epidemic, a gift of industrialization. We have conducted a study to find the prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries in computer professionals with the aim to present data on the problem. The initial data was collected by a self-administered questionnaire enquiring about years of work and per day working hours, symptomatology with their duration and severity, their own appreciation of work output. These individuals were called up according to symptoms, assessed according to their symptomatology, relevant investigations and different modalities of treatment were advised. The study was conducted in one of the leading information technology company at our city. A total of 1159 questionnaires were collected. Six hundred and twenty-four (53.8%) had at least one positive symptom. 46.6% had stage 1 symptoms, 38.5% had stage 2 and 8.1% had stage 3 symptoms at the time of presentation. Two hundred and six patients were examined clinically by the senior author and a definitive clinicoanatomical diagnosis could be made only in 43 patients. Median age in our study group was 24 years. Ninety-eight (22.17%) of positive patients concluded decrease work output due to their symptoms, but only 50(11.3%) patients had consulted a doctor. Two hundred four (46.15%) of patients contributed their symptoms to an ill designed workstation. We conclude that repetitive stress injuries are a definitive problem in computer professionals. The median age in our study group was lower than many international studies. Nearly half of these patients were in stage 2 and stage 3 at presentation.