Chapter 5.7 : Occupational therapy and ergonomy

Hammond, A; Batteson, R

Abstract

Of all soft tissue complaints, occupational therapists treat soft tissue disorders of the upper limb most frequently, and in particular those considered to be Work Related Upper Limb Disorders (WRULDS). This is therefore the main focus of this chapter. There is considerable debate about the aetiology of upper limb pain and whether this is related to frequent repetitive movements of the upper limb (which can occur occupationally as well as in other daily activities) or at the other extreme is a localised form of a fibromyalgia type syndrome of multiple aetiology. A recent population based study of working individuals with forearm pain identified a multifactorial aetiology for forearm pain (McFarlane et al, 2000 ) (Table One).
Different upper limb disorders can varyingly be attributed to physiological, mechanical, psychosocial and/ or environmental factors. Rehabilitation should therefore be within a biopsychosocial model - assessing the individual's problems holistically and addressing all these potentially contributory factors.

Table One: Factors implicated in occupational forearm pain

Mechanical factors: repetitive movements of the artns and wrists; lifting and carrying weights
Work related psychosocial factors (poor levels of satisfaction with support from supervisors and colleagues primarily, as well as rarely being able to make one's own decisions)
Presence of other painful areas (eg shoulder, back pain or widespread pain)
Illness behaviour

• Publication Date: Jan 22, 2004
• Deposit Date: Aug 26, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 26, 2020
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Pages: 306-317
• Book Title: Oxford Textbook of Soft Tissue Rheumatology
• ISBN: 9780192630933
• Publisher URL: https://global-oup-com.salford.idm.oclc.org/academic/?lang=en&cc=gb