• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제5권4호
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• pp.203-209
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• 2014

Background: Coal mining is of significant economic importance to the Australian economy. Despite this fact, the related workforce is subjected to a number of psychosocial risks and musculoskeletal injury, and various psychological disorders are common among this population group. Because only limited research has been conducted in this population group, we sought to examine the relationship between physical (pain) and psychological (distress) factors, as well as the effects of various demographic, lifestyle, and fatigue indicators on this relationship. Methods: Coal miners (N = 231) participated in a survey of musculoskeletal pain and distress on-site during their work shifts. Participants also provided demographic information (job type, age, experience in the industry, and body mass index) and responded to questions about exercise and sleep quality (on-and off-shift) as well as physical and mental tiredness after work. Results: A total of 177 workers (80.5%) reported experiencing pain in at least one region of their body. The majority of the sample population (61.9%) was classified as having low-level distress, 28.4% had scores indicating mild to moderate distress, and 9.6% had scores indicating high levels of distress. Both number of pain regions and job type (being an operator) significantly predicted distress. Higher distress score was also associated with greater absenteeism in workers who reported lower back pain. In addition, perceived sleep quality during work periods partially mediated the relationship between pain and distress. Conclusion: The study findings support the existence of widespread musculoskeletal pain among the coal-mining workforce, and this pain is associated with increased psychological distress. Operators (truck drivers) and workers reporting poor sleep quality during work periods are most likely to report increased distress, which highlights the importance of supporting the mining workforce for sustained productivity.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.79-85
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• 2019

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between physical features, strength, function, and upper extremity musculoskeletal pain during rehabilitation of manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injuries. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: The degree and frequency of upper extremity musculoskeletal pain were measured in persons with spinal cord injuries using manual wheelchairs with the use of questionnaires. The pain scores of the hand, wrist, and shoulder joints were calculated by multiplying the seriousness and frequency of pain. We collected data on the manual muscle test, Spinal Cord Independent Measure-III, and the Body Mass Index. Statistical analysis was performed by descriptive analysis and Pearson's correlation analysis. Results: A total of 47 patients participated in this study and the neurological level of the injuries ranged from C2 to S5. Pain in the shoulder joints was the most common in persons with tetraplegia and paraplegia. Pain was experienced as mild to moderate, and occurred one or more times a week. Of the 32 persons with paraplegia, the most common area of complaint was the shoulder. Of the 15 persons with paraplegia, the shoulder joints were the most common site of pain. The independence levels of the persons with spinal cord injuries were highly correlated to muscle strength levels (p<0.05). Conclusions: This study investigated upper extremity musculoskeletal pain during rehabilitation of manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injuries and the relationship between physical features, strength, and function. In most persons with spinal cord injuries, pain and frequency of shoulder joints were high and pain levels were also related to functional levels.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.135-140
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• 2022

Background: Coal mining is a hazardous industry. The purpose of the study is to identify the nature of occupational injuries and diseases among coal miners and to determine the factors that affect the rate of injury and duration of time loss from work. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using accepted workers' compensation claims data of 30,390 Australian coal miners between July 2003 and June 2017. Results: Musculoskeletal and fracture conditions accounted for approximately 60% of claims in all occupational groups. Cox regression analysis showed that older age and female gender were significant predictors of longer time off work. Injury types and occupations were associated with work time loss: mental health conditions, and machine operators and drivers had significantly longer durations of time off work. Conclusion: Future research can further address how these factors led to longer time off work so that coal industry regulators, employers, and healthcare providers can target interventions more effectively to these at-risk workers.

• 대한약침학회지
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• 제17권4호
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• pp.50-54
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• 2014

Objectives: Digital infrared thermographic imaging (DITI) has been used widely for various inflammatory diseases, circulatory diseases, skin diseases, musculoskeletal diseases and cancers. In cases of ligament injury, obviously the temperature of the damaged area increases due to local inflammation; however, whether the temperature also increases due to DITI has not been determined. The purpose of the present study was to identify whether or not the changes of temperature in patient's with medial collateral ligament injury were really due to infrared thermography and to determine the applicability of DITI for assessing ligament injuries. Methods: Twenty patient's who underwent DITI for a medial collateral ligament injury from September 2012 to June 2014 were included in the current study. The thermographic images from the patient's knees were divided to cover seven sub-areas: the middle of the patella, and the inferomedial, the inferolateral, the superomedial, the superolateral, the medial, and the lateral regions of patella. The temperatures of the seven regions were measured, and the temperature differences between affected and unaffected regions were analyzed by using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. Results: The 20 patient's were composed of 14 women (70%) and 6 men (30%), with a mean age of $62.15{\pm}15.71$ (mean${\pm}$standard deviation (SD)) years. The temperature of the affected side, which included the middle of the patella, and the inferomedial, the superomedial, the superolateral, and the medial regions, showed a significant increase compared to that of the unaffected side (P < 0.05). The inferolateral and the lateral regions showed no significant changes. Conclusion: Our study results suggest that DITI can show temperature changes if a patient has a ligament injury and that it can be applied in the evaluation of a medial collateral ligament injury.

• 대한물리의학회지
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• 제3권2호
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• pp.127-133
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• 2008

Purpose : The purpose of this study was carried out to review the correlation between foot shape(supination foot, pronation foot) and low back pain, hip abduction muscle and ankle lateral sprain. Methods : By using internet, we research the PubMed, Science Direct, KISS, DBpia We selected the article between 1990 and 2007. Key words were supination foot, pronation foot, balance. Results : Normal control balance of human body needs a optimal anatomical alignment and function of musculoskeletal and central nerve system that control continuously to integrate. Especially ankle and foot complex play an important role in postural control because it is located distal part in human body. Supination foot brings to chronic ankle sprain or chronic ankle instability and range of motion limitation due to the weakness of lateral ankle muscle. Pronation foot brings to knee injury because of lower leg internal rotation force. Conclusion : Excessive supination and pronation foot happen to muscle imbalance. Especially weakness of hip abduction or injury of ankle lateral muscle or low back pain are due to abnormal balance and anatomical alignment.

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
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• 제33권4호
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• pp.207-212
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• 2012

It is widely known that sciatic nerve injury (SNI) can negatively affect the biomechanical characteristics of the musculoskeletal system. However, there were no studies that evaluated and compared denervated side with another side limb at the same time. In this study, sixteen male 12-week-old mice were allocated into two groups: HEMI (Right Sciatic nerve denervated) and CON (Control). Both limbs were scanned using micro-CT at 0 week and 4 weeks. There were significant differences in relative variation (RV) of BMD and all structural parameters compared CON and HEMI in right tibia (p < 0.05). Tb.Th and Tb.Sp distributions were differed CON with HEMI in right tibia. In left tibia, there were significant differences in RV of BMD (p < 0.05) and Tb.Sp distribution. These result means that SNI can induce bone loss in the both side tibiae. However, there was a different profile of bone loss between left and right tibiae.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제7권2호
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• pp.138-142
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• 2016

Background: Household waste collectors (HWCs) are exposed to hazardous conditions. This study investigates the patterns of workplace injuries and work-related illnesses of HWCs. Methods: This study uses cases of workplace injuries and work-related illnesses of HWCs that occurred between 2010 and 2011. We analyzed 325 cases of injuries and 36 cases of illnesses according to the workers' age, length of employment, size of workplace, injured part of body, day and month of injury, type of accident, agency of accident, and collection process. Results: There were significant differences in the effect of workers' length of employment, injured part of body, type of accident, agency of accident, and collection process. Results show that most injuries occur in workers in their 50s and older. This study also shows that 51.4% of injuries occur at businesses with 49 employees or fewer. Injuries to waste collectors happen most often when workers are electrocuted after slipping on the ground. The second most prevalent form of injury is falling, which usually happens when workers hang from the rear of the truck during transportation or otherwise slip and fall from the truck. Work-related illnesses amongst waste collectors are mostly musculoskeletal conditions due to damaging postures. Conclusion: These findings will be instructive in devising policies and guidelines for preventing workplace injuries and work-related illnesses of HWCs.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• 제35권
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• pp.26.1-26.15
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• 2023

Background: The objective of this study is to investigate the differences in incidence rates of targeted diseases by classification of occupations among construction workers in Korea. Methods: In a subject-based cohort of the Korean Construction Worker's Cohort, we surveyed a total of 1,027 construction workers. As occupational exposure, the classification of occupations was developed using two axes: construction business and job type. To analyze disease incidence, we linked survey data with National Health Insurance Service data. Eleven target disease categories with high prevalence or estimated work-relatedness among construction workers were evaluated in our study. The average incidence rates were calculated as cases per 1,000 person-years (PY). Results: Injury, poisoning, and certain other consequences of external causes had the highest incidence rate of 344.08 per 1,000 PY, followed by disease of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue for 208.64 and diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue for 197.87 in our cohort. We especially found that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was more common in construction painters, civil engineering welders, and civil engineering frame mold carpenters, asthma in construction painters, landscape, and construction water proofers, interstitial lung diseases in construction water proofers. Conclusions: This is the first study to systematically classify complex construction occupations in order to analyze occupational diseases in Korean construction workers. There were differences in disease incidences among construction workers based on the classification of occupations. It is necessary to develop customized occupational safety and health policies for high-risk occupations for each disease in the construction industry.

• 한국심리학회지 : 문화 및 사회문제
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• 제9권spc호
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• pp.107-122
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• 2003

본 논문에서는 근골격계질환, 특히 직업성요통에 관련되는 위험요인의 영향을 종합적으로 살펴보고자 하였다. 첫째로 물리적인 요인의 영향을 알아보기 위하여 해석적인 인체역학 모델과 NIOSH(National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health) Guidelines를 이용하여 자동차 조립작업의 직업성 요통관련 위험도를 평가하였다. 총 246 작업자에 대한 분석을 수행하였는데, 분석결과 총 20개의 작업에서 L5/S1에서의 압축력이 300kg이 넘었으며 44개의 작업은 NIOSH Guidelines에 의한 분석결과, 최저허용기준치(ACTION LIMIT)을 넘는 것으로 나타났다. 둘째로 사회심리적 요인과 직업성요통의 관계에 대해 분석하였다. 사회심리적 요인의 영향을 알아보기 위하여 증상과 PWI(Psychosocial Well-being Index)를 토대로 한 설문을 이용하여 246명 작업자 모두에게 설문조사를 실시하였다. 그 결과 207명의 작업자가 직업성 요통증상을 경험한 적이 있으며 특히 27명의 작업자는 유병자로 분류된 바 있는 사람들이었다. PWI 점수를 근거로 하여 나눈 두 집단(저스트레스군, 고 스트레스군)은 증상이나 진단결과에 있어서 통계적으로 유의한 차이를 보이지 않았다. 또한 사회심리적 스트레스와 작업강도와의 관계를 살펴보면 주로 작업자세요인과 사회심리적 스트레스가 유의한 관계를 가지는 것으로 나타났다. 마지막으로 직업성요통의 발생에 대하여 경로분석을 수행하였다. 분석결과 인구학적 요인, 사회심리적 요인, 작업특성 요인이 직업성 요통에 직접적으로 영향을 미쳤으며, 개인특성요인 즉, 작업경험, 흡연, 수면시간 등은 직업성요통에 직접적인 영향을 미치는 않은 것으로 나타났다. 그러나 개인특성요인은 직업성 요통에 유의한 영향을 미치는 사회심리적 요인과는 밀접한 관계를 가졌다. 향후 다양한 직종에서의 이와같은 경험적 연구결과가 축적되어 우리나라의 조직문화적 특성을 고려한 직업성 요통에 대한 위험모델에 구축되어야 한다고 사료된다.

• PNF and Movement
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• 제16권2호
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• pp.217-227
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) exercises on the neck disability index and deep neck flexor endurance of acute whiplash injury patients and to provide basic data for PNF exercises for musculoskeletal system disorder patients. Methods: Twenty acute whiplash injury patients were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=10) and were treated with PNF exercises whereas a control group (n=10) underwent general exercises. Each session lasted 15 minutes and was performed five times a week for two weeks. The degree of pain was assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and the degree of neck disability was measured by the neck disability index (NDI). Craniocervical flexor endurance (CCFE) tests were conducted to measure deep neck flexor endurance. Results: In terms of the intragroup changes in VAS, NDI, and CCFE, there were significant decreases in both the experimental and the control groups. After intervention, there were significant differences between the experimental group and the control group in terms of intergroup changes in VAS, NDI and CCFE. Conclusion: Although the exercises that are generally applied to acute whiplash injury patients are effective on the whole, PNF exercises are considered to be beneficial, given the improvements in the neck disability index and deep neck flexor endurance.