|
What are Cumulative
Trauma Disorders (CTD's)?
CTD's
are muscle, tendon, vascular and nerve injuries that
result from repeated or sustained actions or exertions
of different body parts, and can occur over a period
of time ranging from weeks to months, to years.
Other
terms used to describe CTD's include repetitive strain
disorder, repetitive stress injury, overuse syndrome,
work/task-related injury and musculoskeletal disorders.
The common medical conditions that have been related
to cumulative trauma disorder include carpal tunnel
syndrome, stenosing tenosynovitis or trigger finger,
deQuervain's, lateral epicondylitis and thoracic outlet
syndrome.
What
Causes CTD's?
The risk factors
that have been implicated in cumulative trauma disorder
include exertion, frequency, duration, force, posture,
low temperatures and vibration. The most significant
precursor to the development of CTD's is Muscle and
Joint imbalance.
Muscles
move bones, and when one group of muscles is stronger
in comparison to their antagonist, the bones will shift
towards the stronger muscle-group side of the joint
and cause misalignment of that joint. Any misalignment,
no matter how small, can create a significant amount
of wear and tear due to the decreased functional space
of the misaligned joint, which in turn causes a perpetual
cycle of injury due to the compression of the soft-tissue
structures on the strong muscle-side of the joint, resulting
in friction during movement, swelling of the tissues,
and impingement of the associated tendons, nerves and
blood vessels. Until the joint is aligned and the functional
space on the strong muscle-group side of the joint is
returned back to normal, the compression, friction,
swelling, impingement cycle will continue.
Am
I "At -Risk" for a Cumulative Trauma Disorder?
The national surveillance
data from the United States Department of Labor, Bureau
of showed that more then 60% of new occupational illness
in 1992 was associated with repetitive motion.
- Truck
drivers accounted for more serious illnesses and injuries
than any other occupation with 141,100 in 1999,
followed by non-construction laborers with 89,100
and nursing aides and Orderlies with 75,700.
(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- About 1.7 million
injuries and illnesses at private businesses required
time off from work in 1999. (National Academy
of Sciences)
- Men accounted for two out of three
injuries, and workers age 25 to 44 had 55 percent
of the injuries. (National Academy of Sciences)
What
Does Cumulative Trauma Disorder
Mean in Terms of Health-Care Costs?
The National Academy
of Sciences estimates that musculoskeletal disorders
-- things like carpal-tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, and
lower back pain -- cost the nation $45 billion to $54
billion in compensation, lost wages, and lower productivity
each year. (National Academy of Sciences)
|
