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.