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 Technical-Engineering 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.