Cross-sectional Study of Shoulder Stiffness among Health Care Workers: Associated Factors and Muscle Hardness

Abstract

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to explore factors associated with shoulder stiffness among healthcare workers and to examine the relationship between shoulder stiffness and muscle hardness. [Participants and Methods] A total of 138 nurses and therapists were included in the analysis. They were asked to self-report their age, years of work experience, height, weight, Body Mass Index, presence/absence of shoulder stiffness, location and severity of pain (Visual Analogue Scale [VAS]), and presence/absence of self-efficacy (Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire), catastrophic thinking (Pain Catastrophizing Scale: PCS), and stress in a questionnaire. In addition, the hardness of the upper trapezius muscle was measured using an ultrasound machine. The subjects were divided into two groups, with and without stiff shoulders, and the group with stiff shoulders group was further divided into two subgroups: high VAS and low VAS. [Results] The stiff shoulders group had significantly higher stress values than the without stiff shoulders group, and the high VAS subgroup had higher PCS values than the low VAS subgroup, but there was no significant differences in muscle hardness between the two subgroups. [Conclusion] The presence of stiff shoulders and degree of pain among nurses and therapists may have more to do with psychogenic factors, such as stress and catastrophic thinking, than muscle hardness.