The Relationship Between Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders by Various Types of ‎Treatment Among Iranian Physiotherapists In 2016‎

Background: After respiratory problems, musculoskeletal disorders are the second cause of the absence from work-related illness in the short term (less than 2 weeks). The nature of the work in physiotherapy is such that requires physical activities, which include repetitive skills, manual techniques, techniques that put direct pressure on the particular joints during the treatment, non-skillful joints during certain maneuvers and long positions. Several studies have reported that skeletal musculoskeletal disorders frequently experienced by physiotherapists.  Purpose: The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between work-related musculoskeletal disorders among Iranian physiotherapists with the dominant therapeutic methods used by them.  Methods: The research is descriptive-analytic and data are collected in a cross-sectional study. The research population was physiotherapists working in Iran. Data collection tools included the demographic questionnaire and Nordic questionnaire to determine the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The Nordic questionnaire is one of the most widely used questionnaires in the field of musculoskeletal disorders. This questionnaire has been designed by Kuorinka and colleagues to detect the disorder symptoms in nine body areas in a one-year period. Questionnaires were distributed in cooperation with the Iranian Physical Therapy Association among participants in the 27th Iranian Physiotherapy Congress. Ethical considerations were observed in the research and these considerations were registered by the Ethics Committee of the University of Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences at IR.USWR.REC.1395.66. Data analysis was done by SPSS software using Chi-square and Fisher's exact test.  Findings: 1200 questionnaires were distributed among physiotherapists participating in the 27th Iranian Physiotherapy Congress in cooperation with the Iranian Physical Therapy Association. Of these, 685 questionnaires were submitted to us and 16 were excluded due to the lack of entry requirements. Four people were excluded from the study due to work experience less than one year and 11 were excluded from the study due to other diseases of the body, including neurology, rheumatology, malignancy, and joint replacement. The average age of physiotherapists participating in the study was 37.9 ± 9.91 and range from 22 to 69 years. The subjects were 53.9% and 46.1% female and male respectively. After obtaining the prevalence of musculoskeletal problems caused by work among physiotherapists in Iran, its significant association with the type of treatment carried out by Fischer's exact was tested. Of nine areas of the body, significant correlation with treatment methods was found in 7 areas. The prevalence of musculoskeletal problems in the neck area with hand massage (p=0.001), fascia release (p=0.11), mobilization (p=0.007), muscle energy technique (p=0.007) Dry needling (p=0.032) in the shoulder region with mobilization (p=0.005) and taping (p=0.014) in the elbow region with respiratory physiotherapy (p=0.007) in the wrist region by hand massage (p=0.027), fascia release (p = 0.10), mobilization (p = 0.046), muscle energy technique (p = 0.004), taping (p=0.016) in Upper Back region with hand massage (p=0.008), mobilization (p=0.014), taping (p=0.004) and in the lower back region with Fascia release (p=0.036), mobilization (p=0.015), taping (p=0.035) and Muscle energy techniques (p=0.044) and in the area Knee with hydrotherapy (P=0.037) was a significant relationship between the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders were obtained with treatment by a physiotherapist. Conclusion: The findings suggest a high prevalence of musculoskeletal problems due to physiotherapy among physiotherapists. Musculoskeletal problems with the dominant methods of treatment have a significant relationship. Performing some physiotherapist therapies will increase the prevalence of musculoskeletal problems among them.