ABSTRACT
There is now widespread international awareness of the potential problems associated with prolonged work in static postures. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics recently estimated that so-called cumulative trauma disorders (CTD), now constitute almost half of all occupational illnesses. The term cumulative trauma refers to the presumed nature of these disorders, a kind of overuse of the musculoskeletal system resulting from prolonged work in awkward postures. Other terms used in the popular press are repetitive strain injury or repetitive motion injury. In the past, the term, CTD, has been restricted to disorders of the upper extremities (neck, shoulder, arm, wrist, hands); recently, there has been a tendency to include certain lower back problems.
