Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Occupational Therapists in Turkey: a Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are a common cause of absentism and work disability. As work-related musculoskeletal disorders represent an increasingly important issue for occupational therapists, this study determined musculoskeletal disorders among occupational therapists in Turkey. A total of 238 occupational therapists participated and completed the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. As a result, 73.1% of participants reported experiencing neck pain and 72.3% reported experiencing low back pain at 12 months. Statistically significant differences were found between participants with and without work-related musculoskeletal disorders regarding gender, experience, workplace type, treatment, and daily working hours (p < 0.05). Occupational therapists may experience work-related musculoskeletal disorders due to not practicing proper body mechanics or non-provision of transferring equipment.