ERGONOMICS AND MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS
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Upper Limb Musculoskeletal Disorder Consortium
In 2000, NIOSH started a collaborative research program to prevent work-related upper limb musculoskeletal disorders (MSD’s, conditions involving the nerves, tendons, muscles, and supporting structures of the upper limb). The program has research partners at six universities and one state agency. The goal of the program is to determine the risk for work-related:
- carpal tunnel syndrome
- tendinitis of the forearm and wrist
- shoulder disorders
MSD risk is measured based on:
- hand activity level
- amount of forceful exertion required
- awkward postures
- hand-transmitted vibration
The studies from this collaboration have considered individual MSD risk factors, including age, gender, body mass index (weight in relation to height), and medical conditions such as diabetes and thyroid disorders.
To date, the studies have included more than 4,000 workers in healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture, forestry, and construction settings. These studies will:
- determine the level of physical job demands that increase upper limb MSD’s
- see if exposure predicts health outcomes
- guide prevention practices
Research Completed by NIOSH
This section lists articles published by researchers at NIOSH as part of the Consortium. If you are interested in receiving more information about the articles listed below, please email Dr. Susan Burt or Dr. Alysha Meyers.
Burt S, Deddens JA, Crombie K, Jin Y, Wurzelbacher S, Ramsey J. A prospective study of carpal tunnel syndrome: Workplace and individual risk factors. Occup Environ Med. 2013 Aug; 70(8):568-537.
Burt S. Author’s response: Is carpal tunnel syndrome overdiagnosed? Occup Environ Med 2012 Sep; 69(9):690.
Burt S, Crombie K, Jin Y, Wurzelbacher S, Ramsey J, Deddens J. Workplace and individual risk factors for carpal tunnel syndrome. Occup Environ Med 2011; 68:928-33.
Wurzelbacher S, Burt S, Crombie K, Ramsey J, Luo L, Allee S, Jin Y. A comparison of assessment methods of hand activity and force for use in calculating the ACGIH® hand activity level (HAL) TLV®. J Occup Environ Hyg 2010 Jul;7(7):407-16.
University of California Berkeley / University of California San Francisco
This section lists articles published by researchers at the University of California as part of the Consortium. Additional information about these and other ergonomic-related articles can be found on UC Berkeley’s website.
NIOSHTIC-2 is a searchable bibliographic database of occupational safety and health publications, documents, grant reports, and journal articles supported in whole or in part by NIOSH.
University of Connecticut
This section lists articles published by researchers at the University of Connecticut as part of the Consortium.
NIOSHTIC-2 is a searchable bibliographic database of occupational safety and health publications, documents, grant reports, and journal articles supported in whole or in part by NIOSH.
University of Iowa
This section lists articles published by researchers at the University of Iowa as part of the Consortium.
NIOSHTIC-2 list of publications by researchers at the University of Iowa as part of the Consortium
NIOSHTIC-2 is a searchable bibliographic database of occupational safety and health publications, documents, grant reports, and journal articles supported in whole or in part by NIOSH.
University of Utah / University of Wisconsin
This section lists articles published by researchers at the University of Utah and the University of Wisconsin as part of the Consortium.
NIOSHTIC-2 is a searchable bibliographic database of occupational safety and health publications, documents, grant reports, and journal articles supported in whole or in part by NIOSH.
Washington State Department of Labor and Industry SHARP Program
This section lists articles published by researchers at the Washington State Department of Labor & Industry SHARP Program (Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention) as part of the Consortium. For additional information about these and other articles, visit the SHARP Program website.
NIOSHTIC-2 is a searchable bibliographic database of occupational safety and health publications, documents, grant reports, and journal articles supported in whole or in part by NIOSH.
Washington University at St. Louis
This section lists articles published by researchers at Washington University at St. Louis as part of the Consortium. Articles available on digital commons can be found at http://digitalcommons.wustl.edu/ohs_facpubs/.
NIOSHTIC-2 is a searchable bibliographic database of occupational safety and health publications, documents, grant reports, and journal articles supported in whole or in part by NIOSH.
Research completed using pooled data from Consortium partners
Research completed using pooled data
This section lists articles published by researchers in the Consortium, which used data pooled from all of the Consortium members.
NIOSHTIC-2 list of publications by Consortium researchers using pooled data
NIOSHTIC-2 is a searchable bibliographic database of occupational safety and health publications, documents, grant reports, and journal articles supported in whole or in part by NIOSH.
- Page last reviewed: August 11, 2017
- Page last updated: August 11, 2017
- Content source:
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Division of Applied Research and Technology