Cervicobrachial Disorders of Female International Telephone Operators I. Subjective Symptoms

Park, Chung Yill; Cho, Kyung Hwan; Lee, Seung Han

Abstract

A questionnaire study was carried out on 290 international telephone operators to find Out their characteristics of musculoskeletal symptoms in relation to work conditions (work posture, work load etc.) and work duration.
Results
were as follows: 1. The C7-earhole angle, the elbow angle, the left arm abduction angle and the right arm abduction angle all did not meet the recommended criteria and, therefore, seemed to have increased the static load of muscles of the neck, the shoulder and the arms. 2. The prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints was higher in the shoulder and the arms which followed by the neck, the lower hack, the hands and fingers, the hack and the lower limbs. 3. The prevalences of musculoskeletal complaints in the hack and the lower hack increased significantly, as the work duration extended over 5 years. 4. In general, the prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints tended to be lower among habitual exercise group than others. 5. In view of the high prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints even among those with short work experience, it seemed necessary to introduce an adequate control program of cervicobrachial disorders from an early stage of employment.