Occupational factors and carpal tunnel syndrome

TLDR

Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most commonly reported nerve entrapment syndrome. The study estimated CTS prevalence among 652 active workers with varying hand force and repetitiveness characteristics. CTS prevalence ranged from 0.6 % in low force–low repetitive jobs to 5.6 % in high force–high repetitive jobs, with high force–high repetitive work associated with an odds ratio >15, and high repetitiveness alone conferring a higher risk (OR 5.5) than high force (OR 2.9, not significant).

Abstract

Abstract Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most commonly reported nerve entrapment syndrome. The prevalence of CTS among 652 active workers in jobs with specific hand force and repetitiveness characteristics was estimated. The prevalence of CTS ranged from 0.6% among workers in low force–low repetitive jobs to 5.6% among workers in high force–high repetitive jobs. When controlling for potential confounders, the odds ratio for the high force‐high repetitive jobs was more than 15 (p < .001) compared to the low force–low repetitive jobs. High repetitiveness appears to be a greater risk factor than high force (odds ratio of 5.5, p < .05 versus 2.9 and not statistically significant).