Stretching techniques in medical rehabilitation Work – related musculoskeletal disorders among Turkish physiotherapists

Abstract

Aims: The purpose of this study was to investigate work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) and their relation with working departments as well as age, gender, marital status, experience in job, and sick leave in Turkish Physiotherapists.
Material and Methods: One hundred-seventy Turkish Physiotherapists working at different regions of Turkey participated in this study. A self-administered questionnaire including age, gender, marital status, experience in job, working departments, sick leave, work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) and location of disorders were carried out to the physiotherapists who were divided into two groups according to “worked“ or “not worked” for working departments. Results: Most common WMSD was low back pain with 57.6% ratio among physiotherapists while 37.6% of physiotherapists had neck problems, 18.2% had lower extremity and 43.5% had upper extremity problems. There was a significant difference in the presence of musculoskeletal problems between the physiotherapists who worked and had not worked in neurological rehabilitation department (p<0.005).
Conclusion: Recommendation for physiotherapists are to be their own physiotherapists and to make exercises for the muscles that commonly used in their work such as stretching to reduce WMSDs. Specific prevention strategies for potentially disabling conditions should be developed to reduce WMSDs in the practice of physiotherapy and rehabilitation.

Key words:

work related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), physiotherapist, health, rehabilitation.