Musculoskeletal
Musculoskeletal Disorders, Worker-related
October 2002
Clinical Focus*
Condition-Specific Issues
- What are the most effective methods and approaches for the early identification and diagnosis of worker-related musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremity?
- What are the specific indications for surgery for worker-related musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremity?
- What are the relative benefits and harms of various surgical and nonsurgical interventions for persons with worker-related musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremity?
- Is there a relationship between specific clinical findings and specific treatment outcomes among patients with worker-related musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremity?
- Is there a relationship between duration of symptoms and specific treatment outcomes among patients with worker-related musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremity?
- Is there a relationship between factors such as patients' age, gender, socioeconomic status, and/or racial or ethnic grouping and specific treatment outcomes among patients with worker-related musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremity?
- What are the surgical and nonsurgical costs or charges for treatment of worker-related musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremity?
- For persons who have had surgery for worker-related musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremity, what are the most effective methods for preventing the recurrence of symptoms, and how does this vary depending on subject characteristics or other underlying health problems?
- What instruments, if any, can accurately assess functional limitations in an individual with a worker-related disorder of the upper extremity?
- What are the functional limitations for an individual with a worker-related musculoskeletal disorder of the upper extremity before treatment?
- What are the functional limitations of an individual with a worker-related musculoskeletal disorder of the upper extremity after treatment?
Non-condition-specific Issues
- What are the cumulative effects on functional abilities among individuals with more than one worker-related musculoskeletal disorder of the upper extremity in the same limb?
- What level of function can patients achieve in what period of time when they are required to change hand dominance as a result of injury to their dominant hand?
*Addressed in the summary or evidence report.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Worker-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Upper Extremity
Summary (Publication No. 02-E027, October 2002)
Evidence Report (Publication No. 01-E038, February 2002)
(PDF Files; File Download)
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