ABSTRACT

Overall in the United States, the magnitude of the work-related musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremity (WRMUE) is increasing. From 1982 to 1992 the number of illness cases of disorders associated with repeated trauma (the category that includes most musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremity) increased from 22,600 to 282,000 cases (USDL, 1993). This trend is not some generalized phenomena related to the reporting of all workplace disorders or injuries, since other disorders such as work-related skin disorders have not shown an increase of similar magnitude. The reasons for this increase are not clear, but the suggestion is that workplace and societal factors can influence both the incidence of symptoms and physical signs of WRMUE, and whether workers decide to report these disorders to their employers and seek workers’ compensation for these disorders.