Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders among Korean Physical Therapists

抄録

[Purpose] This study sought to determine the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs) their associated work risk factors and the coping strategies used to reduce their risk among physical therapists in Korea. [Subjects] Korean physical therapists with at least 1 year of working experience. [Methods] A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 234 physical therapists working in different hospitals, and 180 questionnaires were returned yielding a 76.9% response rate. Twenty-three of the returned questionnaires were excluded from the analysis because of incomplete data. [Results] The overall prevalence of WRMDs during the past 12 months was 92.4%. Female physical therapists reported a significantly higher prevalence of WRMDs than male physical therapists (p=0.028). The most injured body areas were the low back (53.5%) and shoulders (45.2%). Treating an excessive number of patients in 1 day (90.4%) and a lack of rest breaks (89.8%) were the most perceived work risk factors for WRMDs. The most commonly adopted coping strategies were modification of the therapist’s or patients’ positions and use of a different part of the therapist’s body to administer a manual technique (51.6%). [Conclusion] WRMDs are significantly higher among physical therapists in Korea compared to many other countries. Education programmes on prevention and coping strategies for WRMDs are recommended for physical therapists in order to reduce the risk of further injury.