Prevalence of Epicondylitis and Elbow Pain in the meat-processing Industry

Eira Viikari-Juntura；Kari Kurppa；Eeva Kuosma；Matti Huuskonen；Iikka Kuorinka；Ritva Ketola；Ulla Könni

cumulative trauma disorder ； golfer's elbow ； meatcutter ； musculoskeletal disorder ； overuse injury ； packer ； repetitive strain injury ； sausage maker ； tennis elbow ； work-related disorders

Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health

17卷1期（1991 / 01 / 01）

38 - 45

英文

To determine the etiologic role of strenuous manual tasks in relation to epicondylitis, three clinical cross-sectional examinations were performed on meatcutters (N=102), sausage makers (N=125), packers (N=150), and workers in nonstrenuous tasks (N=332). The workers in strenuous jobs reported elbow symptoms 1.6-1.8 times as often as those in nonstrenuous jobs. Female sausage makers also showed epicondylar tenderness more often than the women in nonstrenuous jobs. In all the cross-sectional examinations combined, seven cases (0.8 %) of epicondylitis were detected in both the strenuous and nonstrenuous jobs. A control for the possible sources of bias (leaving the company, changing task, being on sick leave) did not suggest a marked loss of potential cases of epicondylitis. A major role of strenuous tasks in the etiology of epicondylitis was not shown. However, because the number of clinical cases was small, the power of the study was low.