Publication:

Work related musculoskeletal disorders among female physiotherapists in Bangladesh

Background Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) affect many health professionals, among whom are Physiotherapists. Shoulder pain, elbow pain, low back pain, knee pain, neck pain and ankle pain are some of the complaints that can attribute to repetitive motion tasks, awkward posture and manual patient handling. Although prevalence of WMSDs among Physiotherapists have been documented in some Bangladeshi studies, information specifically for female Physiotherapist is limited.

Methods To identify the work-related musculoskeletal disorders among female physiotherapists in Bangladesh; a descriptive cross-sectional study design was selected.

Results Total 99 female physiotherapists accept the invitation from online survey and 79 were recruited, in which the prevalence was WMSDs (79.79%), with Bachelor degree (72.15%) and clinical physiotherapists 58.23%, respectively. Most of the participants experienced mild pain (53.16%); neck pain was the most prevalent issue (29.11%). Pain duration, daily activity limitation, ODI, DASH and HRQoL were associated with age (all p<0.05). BMI, work experience and patient number had significant relationship with the duration of pain and disability score as well as HRQoL (p<0.05), but not in pain intensity, NDI and LEFS.

Conclusions In Bangladesh, female Physiotherapist are frequently suffering from musculoskeletal disorders related to their jobs. Therefore, the likelihood of WMSDs can be reduced by using preventive measures and appropriate patient care practices.