Abstract
BackgroundPhysiotherapists are known to be prone to Work- related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs) but its prevalence among physiotherapists in Nigeria has not been reported. This study investigated the prevalence and work factors of WRMDs among physiotherapists in Nigeria.MethodsA cross- sectional survey was administered to physiotherapists in different parts of Nigeria using a 2- part questionnaire with items adopted from questionnaires used for similar studies around the world. Two hundred and seventeen copies of the questionnaire were distributed for self administration but 126 physiotherapists returned completed surveys for a 58.1% response. The data were analyzed using SPPS version 10 at alpha level of 0.05. Descriptive statistics of frequency and percentages and inferential statistics of x2 were used as appropriate for data analysis.ResultsReported 12- month prevalence of WRMDs among Nigerian physiotherapists was 91.3%. Prevalence of WRMDs was significantly higher in female physiotherapists (p = 0.007) and those with lower body mass index (p = 0.045). The low back (69.8%) was the most commonly affected body part, followed by the neck (34.1%). Fifty percent of the physiotherapists first experienced their WRMDs within five years of graduation and the highest prevalence (61.7%) was found among physiotherapists younger than 30 years. Treating large number of patients in a day was cited by most (83.5%) of the respondents as the most important work factor for their WRMDs. The most commonly adopted coping strategy identified was for the therapists to modify their position and/or the patient's position (64.3%). Majority of the respondents (87.0%) did not leave the profession but 62.6% changed and/or modified their treatment because of their WRMDs.ConclusionThe prevalence of WRMDs among physiotherapists in Nigeria is higher than most values reported for their counterparts around the world. The coping strategies and work factors of WRMDs among Nigerian physiotherapists are mostly similar to those of their counterparts elsewhere.
Highlights
Physiotherapists are known to be prone to Work- related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs) but its prevalence among physiotherapists in Nigeria has not been reported
Salisk and Ozkan [7] defined WRMDs among physiotherapists as musculoskeletal injuries that result from a work-related event and several studies [4,5,6,7,8,9] have documented that work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs) are frequently experienced by physiotherapists
The higher 12month prevalence found in our study suggests that physiotherapy practice in Nigeria highly predisposes to WRMDs
Summary
Physiotherapists are known to be prone to Work- related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs) but its prevalence among physiotherapists in Nigeria has not been reported. Salisk and Ozkan [7] defined WRMDs among physiotherapists as musculoskeletal injuries that result from a work-related event and several studies [4,5,6,7,8,9] have documented that work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs) are frequently experienced by physiotherapists. Low back pain is the most common WRMD among physiotherapists [5,6,7,8,14] with career and annual prevalence of low back pain among physiotherapists in the United Kingdom being reported as 68% and 58% respectively [13]. Mierzejewski and Kumar [9] found the prevalence of low back pain in Canada to be 49%, while Shehab et al [15] reported a 70% prevalence of low back pain in Kuwait
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