ABSTRACT
The reported prevalence of WRMD in physiotherapists differs within the published literature, ranging from 47.6% (Alrowayeh et al., 2010) to 91% (Cromie et al., 2000) and one of the reasons is that the analyzed time window may vary between 7 days, 12 months or even the entire working life of the worker. Several factors have been reported by these professionals as the possible cause of the WRMD, such as working in the same position for long periods, working in static postures, continuing to work while injured, performing the same task repeatedly, performing manual therapy techniques, treating an excessive number of patients in one day, lifting or transferring dependent patients, insufficient rest breaks and working in awkward positions (Cromie et al., 2000, Rozenfeld et al., 2010, Milhem et al., 2016). The neck is one of the body regions with higher prevalence of WRMD in physiotherapists with values ranging from 47.6% to 61% (Cromie et al., 2000, Vieira et al., 2016). Several factors have been reported as major contributors for to the WRMD in this body region, such as performing manual orthopaedic techniques, continuing to work
1 INTRODUCTION
The term “Musculoskeletal Disorder” refers to wide number of injuries with sudden or insidious onset that might affect individuals for varying periods and constitutes a heavy burden for individuals and society (Sanders and Dillon, 2006, Sanders and Stricoff, 2006, Woolf and Pfleger, 2003). If the disorder is induced or worsened by an occupational activity or its associated circumstances, the term “work-related musculoskeletal disorder” is often used (Luttmann et al., 2003, Schneider et al., 2010). In 2014, work-related musculoskeletal disorders were responsible for 32.3% of all injuries and illnesses involving work absence, remaining the main category of injury and illness for this outcome. The median number of days away from work was 13 days (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, 2016), an increase from the previous report (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, 2015). Despite the increasing attention from researchers, the burden of work-related musculoskeletal disorders is increasing worldwide and, according to Buchbinder et al. (2015), several factors may play a role in the lack of transposition between existing guidelines and daily practice.
