Pain and musculoskeletal discomfort in military police officers of the Ostensive Motorcycle Patrol Group

Michele Vantini Checchio Skrapec,Diego Barbosa de Queiroz,Francis Trombini-Souza,Andréa Marques Sotero,Katianna Karolinna Fernandes Maia Braga,Tarcísio Fulgêncio Alves da Silva

doi:10.5935/1806-0013.20180006

Abstract

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders have shown a high prevalence among workers, among these, law enforcement officers have been greatly affected. The aim of this study was to analyze the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders symptoms in the Ostensive Motorcycle Patrol Group of the Military Police of Pernambuco, PE. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study developed from February to June 2016. The subjects were 28 police officers from the Ostensive Motorcycle Patrol Group, of the 5th Battalion of the Military Police. Data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire with sociodemographic variables and professional characteristics. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and the visual analog scale were used. RESULTS: In the study sample, most of the individuals were male with an average of 62±8 working hours per week. Regarding the presence of musculoskeletal symptoms, the most affected anatomical region was the back, followed by the knees and then the chest. As for the pain perception of the subjects, the spine and lower limbs showed higher pain intensity when compared to other regions. Most of the sample believe that musculoskeletal symptoms are related to work. CONCLUSION: The findings in this study demonstrate the presence of musculoskeletal symptoms in the studied population. The analysis of the musculoskeletal disorders of these police officers will serve as an input for the planning of intervention actions to improve the general conditions of the service provided by the Ostensive Motorcycle Patrol Group.

Highlights

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMD) are common in several professions and result in a high proportion of injuries
There are no studies that evidence if this type of work activity, can influence the pain perception and body discomfort suffered by these police officers
The hypothesis was: (i) the type of work activity performed by ROCAM police officers could evidence the higher prevalence of pain and body discomfort, mainly, in the low back region and wrist/hands; (ii) the working period of the ROCAM police officers could be associated with higher prevalence of pain and discomfort in the above-mentioned regions

Summary

Introduction

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMD) are common in several professions and result in a high proportion of injuries. The physical and mental stress inherent to this work activity, the weight of the weapons, the uniform and the equipment, as well as the overload on the spine, upper and lower limbs and the emotional stress due to the patrol riding and the heat of the bike engine can be responsible for the high levels of absenteeism of these workers[4,5] All these mechanical aspects of the motorcycle and the roads, as well as the emotional and biomechanical aspects on these motorcycle professionals, can contribute to the increasing world public health problem in this segment of military workers.

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Conclusion