HOW TO PREVENT MUSCLES INJURIES IN ENDOSCOPISTES ?

Aims We aim to identify the risk factors associated with the different locations of muscle pain and how to prevent them.

Methods A questionnaire including the following elements was sent to endoscopists of all ages: sex, age, weight, height, number of years of endoscopy, number of colonoscopies and fibroscopies per week, use of an optical endoscope, realization of interventional gestures, practice of a sports activity, presence of muscle pain as well as its location, the diagnosis chosen and the different therapeutic and ergonomic strategies.

Results One hundred and twelve endoscopists responded to the questionnaire. The mean age was 40.7 years [27-69]. The average number of years in practice was between 10 and 15 years. Muscle pain was noted in 85% of gastroenterologists. The most frequent locations were the back (74%), followed by the neck (55%) and shoulder (49%). Neck pains were associated with female gender (p=0.05). Back pains were associated with years of practice>10 (p=0.05), number of colonoscopies greater than 5 (p=0.03) and the use of optical endoscope (p=0.04). Shoulder pains were associated with years of practice>10 (p=0.01), number of colonoscopies greater than 5 (p=0.01), number of upper endoscopy>15 (p=0.03) and doing therapeutic endoscopy (p=0.03). The factors associated with relief of pain at any location were muscle strengthening (p=0.02) and adoption of ergonomic strategies (p<0.001): adjusting monitor location and distance (p=0.03), adjusting bed height (p=0.02) and break time between procedures (p=0.04).

Conclusions Ergonomic design in the workplace is shown to be paramount in the prevention of muscles injuries in endoscopists.

Publication History

Article published online:
14 April 2022