Case Study
Year: 2022 | Month: August | Volume: 12 | Issue: 8 | Pages: 148-153
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijhsr.20220821
Six-Month Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Assessment During Manual Lymphatic Drainage: a Physiotherapist Case Report
Julien Jacquier-Bret1,2, Philippe Gorce 1,2
1International Institute of Biomechanics and Surgical Ergonomics
2Université de Toulon, CS60584-83041 TOULON CEDEX 9, France
Corresponding Author: Julien Jacquier-Bret
ABSTRACT
Background: Physiotherapists have a high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The duration and repetition of a treatment over a period of 6 months was not addressed. The interest of such an approach is to identify the biomechanical and ergonomic parameters that would lead to the appearance of MSDs.
Purpose: The aim of this case study was to investigate the MSD risk of musculoskeletal disorders associated with the practice of manual lymphatic drainage through the analysis of postures over a period of 6 months.
Participant(s) and Methods: A 39-years physiotherapist performed ten 20-minutes manual lymphatic drainage. The adopted postures were defined every 5 seconds by the joint angles of the neck, trunk, and upper and lower limbs. A hierarchical cluster analysis was applied to identify "Personal Postural Clusters" (PPC). The MSD risk related to each PPC was quantified using the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA).
Results: Six PPC were identified and defined though mean (± standard deviation) joint angles. Associated RULA scores were between 4.2 and 5.5. The three PPC with the highest MSD risk were used for 48% of the massage time. The shoulders and back were the most exposed areas to MSDs.
Conclusion: Manual lymphatic drainage activities over a long period of time expose physiotherapists to significant risks of MSDs. Quick changes are needed to prevent their occurrence. The use of PPCs in a quantitative and longitudinal analysis of manual lymphatic drainage enables the quantification of individual risks and the proposal of recommendations.
Key words: Musculoskeletal disorders, Physiotherapy, Ergonomics