Relationship between Non-Specific Shoulder Pain and General Health Status in Tire production Industry Workers

Abstract

Introduction: Shoulder is among the most common sites of musculoskeletal pain. Shoulder and neck pain has been widely investigated but its etiology still remains unknown. However, it appears to be multifactorial. Despite extensive studies on shoulder pain and its etiology, studies on the effect of general health status on non-specific shoulder pain are scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate relationship between non-specific shoulder pain and general health status in Tire production industry workers. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a large tire factory during 2013-2015 and 497 male production line workers were evaluated. Characteristics of workers at baseline were evaluated using a questionnaire covering three main domains: Demographic and occupational characteristics, general health questionnaire (GHQ) and the job content questionnaire (JCQ). subjects were followed up for developing shoulder pain for one year. Results: At one year following the first visit, 159 (32%) subjects complained of unilateral or bilateral shoulder pain. T-test applied for quantitative variables revealed that the mean work experience, the general health questionnaire (GHQ) score and the quick exposure check (QEC) score were significantly higher in patients suffering from shoulder pain than healthy subjects (P

Keywords

• Shoulder Pain, Ergonomics, General Health, Occupational Stress