Prevalence of Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Physicians, Surgeons and Dentists: A Comparative Study

BACKGROUND: Work related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are one of the common occupational hazards among health care providers. AIM: The objective of this study was to evaluate MSDs in terms of perception of pain experienced by physicians, surgeons and dental surgeons during professional work. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study was conducted with 100 physicians practicing either modern or alternative medicine, 100 surgeons of various specialties and 100 dental surgeons. Self-reporting work related questionnaire on MSDs were distributed, including information on the location of MSD symptoms in the past 12 months and the pain experienced. RESULTS: Musculoskeletal pain was most prevalent among dentists 61% (61/100), followed by surgeons 37% (37/100) and physicians 20% (20/100). Nearly 15% of physicians (3/20), 40% (15/37) of Surgeons and 60% (35/61) of Dentists had MSD problems in more than one site. CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of the study, there is a higher prevalence of MSDs experienced by dental surgeons than physicians and surgeons. More research is needed on musculoskeletal problems with dental surgeons and other specialty doctors with an emphasis on a larger sample sizes and correlating other factors such as age and sex of the doctor, duration of practice, working hours per week, physical activity and working environment.