Musculoskeletal Pain in Gynecologic Surgeons

Abstract

ObjectiveTo describe the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain and symptoms in gynecologic surgeons. DesignProspective cross-sectional survey study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2). SettingVirtual. All study participants were contacted and participated via electronic means. ParticipantsGynecologic surgeons. InterventionsAn anonymous, web-based survey was distributed to gynecologic surgeons via electronic newsletters and direct E-mail. Measurements and Main ResultsThere were 495 respondents with complete data. When respondents were queried about their musculoskeletal symptoms in the past 12 months, they reported a high prevalence of lower back (75.6%) and neck (72.9%) pain and a slightly lower prevalence of shoulder (66.6%), upper back (61.6%), and wrist/hand (60.9%) pain. Many respondents believed that performing surgery caused or worsened the pain, ranging from 76.3% to 82.7% in these five anatomic regions. Women are at an approximately twofold risk of pain, with adjusted odds ratios (OR) of 1.88 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1–3.2; p = .02) in the lower back region, OR 2.6 (95% CI, 1.4–4.8; p = .002) in the upper back, and OR 2.9 (95% CI, 1.8–4.6; p = .001) in the wrist/hand region. ConclusionMusculoskeletal symptoms are highly prevalent among gynecologic surgeons. Female sex is associated with approximately twofold risk of reported pain in commonly assessed anatomic regions.