Frequency and Risk Factors of Lower Limb Disorders in Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders

Objective: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders(WMSDs) are a serious health and economic problem. Occupationalhealth and safety is important for preventing these disorders. There aremany reports about work-related upper limb musculoskeletal disorders,but few about the lower limb. Most of lower limb reports were basedon self-reported scales. Our aim was to determine the frequency andrisk factors of lower limb disorders in WMSDs in workers in heavy industry. Material and Methods: We included 110 male and femaleheavy industry workers among 1,268 patients diagnosed with a WMSDwho were admitted to the physical medicine and rehabilitation (PMR)outpatient clinic between 2018 and 2020, and were diagnosed with alower limb WMSD by physical and radiological examinations. We recorded demographic data, risk factors, and lower limb WMSD diagnoses for all patients. Results: The incidence of lower limb WMSDs(n=110) among all patients diagnosed with a WMSD in the PMR outpatient clinic was 8.67%. Of these lower extremity WMSDs, the mostcommon site was the knee (83.6% of patients), followed by the feet-ankles (24.5%), and the hip joint (20.9%). In our study, the frequency ofwearing special shoes/boots was statistically significantly higher incases with WMSDs in the feet-ankles (p<0.001). Conclusion: WMSDsare seen in both the lower and upper extremities. Special shoes andboots designed for the working environment should include featuresthat would help to reduce WMSDs of the feet-ankles.