Psychological and Physical Workload and the Development of Musculoskeletal Symptoms Among Female Elderly-Care Workers

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relations between psychological and physical workload and musculoskeletal neck, shoulder and upper back symptoms. In this longitudinal two-phase cohort study a survey was conducted among non-managerial female elderly-care workers (n = 553). The analyses were based on respondents who were considered free from the respective symptoms at initial ratings, resulting in study samples of n = 230 for neck symptoms, n = 211 for shoulder symptoms, n = 400 for upper back symptoms, and n = 204 for low back symptoms. The results indicate that psychological workload is related to the development of musculoskeletal (neck and upper back) symptoms measured at an 18-month follow-up, both in itself and in combination with physical workload. The most important finding was that psychological workload shows significant temporal relations to neck and upper back symptoms.