Comparative Assessment of Upper Limbs Musculoskeletal Disorders by Rapid Upper Limb Assessment Among Computer Users of Zahedan Universities

Abstract

Background: Along with widespread use of computers, work-related upper limb musculoskeletal disorders (ULMSDs) have become the most prevalent ergonomic problems in computer users. Thus, study of the ergonomic risk factors related to ULMSDs in computer users has a special importance. Objectives: The present study was conducted to assess and compare ULMSDs among computer users of Zahedan universities of TechnicalEngineering and Medical Sciences by Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire and rapid upper limb assessment (RULA). Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 107 computer users (65 users from Technical-Engineering University; 42 users from Medical University with a mean age of 33.84 ± 7.26 years). A combination of four methods of observation, interviews (to collect demographic data); Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire (NMQ) (to determine the prevalence of pain signs and symptoms of upper limb musculoskeletal disorders); and RULA (to assess the potential risk of ULMSDs) were used. We used chi-square test for qualitative data analysis, independent-samples t-test for quantitative data analysis between two groups, and 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for multiple comparisons with 0.05 significant levels. Results: The highest and lowest of pain percentage in computer users belonged to back (77%) and shoulders (51.24%), respectively. The most percentage absenteeism belonged to lower back region (21.5%), and the most percentage over the past 12 months due to low back pain was 19.6%. Pain signs and symptoms in the body parts of shoulder, back, and legs in computer users of Technical-Engineering University were more than those of Medical Sciences University. RULA results showed that 30.8% of the computer users of Technical-Engineering University were located in corrective action level 3 (high risk level) and 42.9% of computer users of Medical Sciences at risk level 2 (moderate risk level). There was a significant relationship between age and RULA final score (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The potential risk and prevalence of ULMSDs among computer users of Medical Sciences University were less than those of Technical-Engineering University due to following ergonomic principles. RULA found to be a proper method for the assessment of the ergonomic risk factors of the ULMSDs in order to prevent such disorders.