The increasing incidence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among radiographers was an area of concern in the healthcare system. The increasing demand for radiology services, and the ergonomic hazards faced by most radiographers make them more susceptible for musculoskeletal problems. This study was done to assess the prevalence and severity of musculoskeletal symptoms among radiographers in Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah, Alor Setar, Kedah. A survey was conducted on 55 radiographers. Information collected included demographic data, prevalence and severity of musculoskeletal symptoms, and potential risk factors. 100% of respondents reported experiencing at least one episode of symptoms in the past 12 months, while 92.7% reported the same in the last seven days. Lower back pain was the most frequent symptom (83.6%), followed by neck pain (67.3%), and right shoulder pain (61.8%). Some of the respondents were unable to perform their duties due to the symptoms. The major risk factors were lifting of heavy load (67.3%), prolonged stretching of the shoulder (65.5%) and the neck (58.2%). Demographics data and work tasks were found to be associated with prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms. There is significant evidence of musculoskeletal symptoms among radiographers in this study. Intervention is necessary to prevent this situation from getting worse.
Albander, H. (2021). Occupational health and radiation safety of radiography workers.
In biomedical signal and image processing. Intechopen.
Alrowayeh, H. N., Alnaser, M. Z., Alshatti, T. A., & Saeed, R. S. (2021). Prevalence and risk factors of work-related lower back pain among radiographers in the State of Kuwait. Radiology Research And Practice, 2021.
Al Shammari, M., Hassan, A., Al Dandan, O., Al Gadeeb, M., & Bubshait, D. (2019). Musculoskeletal symptoms among radiologists in Saudi Arabia: A multi-center cross-sectional study. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 20(541).
Anap, D., Iye, C., & Rao, K. (2013). Work related musculoskeletal disorders among hospital nurses in rural Maharashtra, India: a multi centre survey. International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences. 1(2):101.
Ayers, S., Baum, A., McManus, C., Newman, S., Wallston, K., Weinman, J., & West, R. (Eds.). (2007). Cambridge handbook of psychology, health and medicine. Cambridge University Press.
Birnie, D., Healey, J. S., Krahn, A. D., Ahmad, K., Crystal, E., Khaykin, Y., ... & Redfearn, D. (2011). Prevalence and risk factors for cervical and lumbar spondylosis in interventional electrophysiologists. Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology, 22(9), 957–960.
Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Work-related musculoskeletal disorders & ergonomics. Centers for disease control and prevention, atlanta.
Cheon, B. K., Kim, C. L., Kim, K. R., Kang, M. H., Lim, J. A., Woo, N. S., ... & Kim, J. H. (2018). Radiation safety: a focus on lead aprons and thyroid shields in interventional pain management. The Korean Journal of Pain, 31(4), 244-252.
Cornelis, F. H., Razakamanantsoa, L., Ben Ammar, M., Lehrer, R., Haffaf, I., El-Mouhadi, S., ... & Barral, M. (2021). Ergonomics in interventional radiology: Awareness is mandatory. Medicina, 57(5), 500.
Daniel, S. V., Umar, M. S., Ahmad, N. M., & Joseph, Z. D. (2018). Work-related musculoskeletal disorders: Prevalence among clinical radiographers in teaching hospitals in North-Western Nigeria. Journal of Radiography & Radiation Sciences, 32(1), 57–63.
Deros, B. M., Adilah, M., & Daruis, D. D. I. (2014, December). A study on the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among health care workers at a private medical centre. In 2014 IEEE Conference on Biomedical Engineering and Sciences (IECBES) (pp. 403-407). IEEE.
Dong, H., Zhang, Q., Liu, G., Shao, T., & Xu, Y. (2019). Prevalence and associated factors of musculoskeletal disorders among Chinese healthcare professionals working in tertiary hospitals: A cross-sectional study. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 20(1), 1–7.
Dunn, K. M., & Croft, P. R. (2005). Classification of low back pain in primary care: using “bothersomeness” to identify the most severe cases. Spine, 30(16), 1887-1892.
Evans, K. D., Sommerich, C. M., Stigall-Weikle, A. N., Stokes, A. D., & Klatt, M. D. (2021). Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among radiographers: An exploration of self-reported symptoms. Radiologic Technology, 93(2), 161–176.
Goldstein, J. A., Balter, S., Cowley, M., Hodgson, J., & Klein, L. W. (2004). Occupational Hazards of Interventional Cardiologists: Prevalence Of Orthopedic Health Problems In Contemporary Practice. Catheterization And Cardiovascular Interventions, 63(4), 407–411.
Heggannavar, A., Patil, A., Lewis, F., Luis, C., & Malu, R. (2020). Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and eye strain among the radiologists in Belagavi. BLDE University Journal of Health Sciences, 5(2), 185–193.
Ibrahim, N. I., & Mohanadas, D. (2012). Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among staffs in specialized healthcare centre. Work, 41(Supplement 1), 2452–2460.
Institute of Labour Market Information and Analysis (ILMIA) https://www.ilmia.gov.my/index.php/en/bda-noa
Klein, L. W., Tra, Y., Garratt, K. N., Powell, W., Lopez?Cruz, G., Chambers, C., & Goldstein, J. A. Occupational health hazards of interventional cardiologists in the current decade: Results of the 2014 SCAI membership survey. Catheterization And Cardiovascular Interventions, 86(5), 913–924.
Kursun, S., Evirgen, S., Akbulut, N., Oztas, B., & Vaizoglu, S. A. (2014). Work Characteristics and Musculoskeletal Disorders among Postgraduate Dental Students: A Pilot Study. Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain.;22(1): 62–67 18.
Lamar, S. L. (2004). Investigation Of Factors Associated with Prevalence and Severity of Musculoskeletal Symptoms Among the Workers in Clinical Specialties of Radiologic Technology: An Ergonomic And Epidemiological Approach.
Landry, M. D., Raman, S. R., Sulway, C., Golightly, Y. M., & Hamdan, E. (2008). Prevalence and risk factors associated with low back pain among health care providers in a Kuwait hospital. Spine, 33(5), 539–545.
Lee, J. G., Kim, G. H., Jung, S. W., Kim, S. W., Lee, J. H., & Lee, K. J. (2018). The association between long working hours and work-related musculoskeletal symptoms of Korean wage workers: data from the fourth Korean working conditions survey (a cross-sectional study). Annals of occupational and environmental medicine, 30(1), 1-11.
Lipscomb, J. A., Trinkoff, A. M., Geiger-Brown, J., & Brady, B. (2002). Work- schedule characteristics and reported musculoskeletal disorders of registered nurses. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 28(6), 394– 401. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40967230
Lorusso, A., Bruno, S., & L'abbate, N. (2007). Musculoskeletal complaints among Italian X-ray technologists. Industrial Health, 45(5), 705–708.
Monaco, M. G. L., Carta, A., Tamhid, T., & Porru, S. (2020). Anti-X apron wearing and musculoskeletal problems among healthcare workers: A systematic scoping review. International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health, 17(16), 5877.
National Institute of Safety and Health Malaysia (2016). Work stress and mental health. (2016). News Straits Times. Available at:
https://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/04/142074/work-stress-and-mental-health
Noor, D. A. (2021). Work-related musculoskeletal disorders | University Health Centre. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders | university health centre; pku.upm.edu.my. Https://pku.upm.edu.my/article/work_related_musculoskeletal_disorders-64154
Okeji, M. C., Agwunna, K. K., Onwuzu, S. W., & Nnaemeka, J. O. (2015). Patterns of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among practicing sonographers in Enugu State, Nigeria. World Journal of Medical Sciences, 12(4), 387–391.
Orme, N. M., Rihal, C. S., Gulati, R., Holmes, D. R., Lennon, R. J., Lewis, B. R., ... & Singh, M. (2015). Occupational health hazards of working in the interventional laboratory: A multisite case control study of physicians and allied staff. Journal of The American College of Cardiology, 65(8), 820–826.
Rambabu, T., & Suneetha, K. (2014). Prevalence of work related musculoskeletal disorders among physicians, surgeons and dentists: A comparative study. Annals of Medical and Health Sciences Research.; 4(4):578–582.
Rahman, S. H. A., Rasdi, I., Karrupiah, K., & Abdullah, A. M. (2021). Risk factors of musculoskeletal symptoms among healthcare workers in a public hospital. Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 17(4), 80–88.
Ribeiro, T., Serranheira, F., & Loureiro, H. (2017). Work related musculoskeletal disorders in primary health care nurses. Applied Nursing Research.;33:72–77.
Sirajudeen, M. S., Alaidarous, M., Waly, M., & Alqahtani, M. (2018). Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among faculty members of college of applied medical sciences, Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study. International journal of health sciences, 12(4), 18.
Sommerich, C. M., Lavender, S. A., Evans, K. D., Sanders, E. B. N., Joines, S., Lamar, S., ... & Park, S. (2020). Collaborating with radiographers to address their work-related musculoskeletal discomfort. Applied Ergonomics, (85).
Tariq, R. A., George, J. S., Ampat, G., & Toney-Butler, T. J. (2023). Back safety. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.
Thon, C. C., Feng, P. K. J., & Lian, C. W. (2016). Risk factors of low back pain among nurses working in sarawak general hospital. Health, 7(1), 13-24.
Torgbenu, E. L., Nakua, E. K., Kyei, H., Badu, E., & Opoku, M. P. (2017). Causes, trends and severity of musculoskeletal injuries in Ghana. BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 18(1), 1-8.
Udoh, B. E., Ulu, U. O., Eze, J. C., & Chiegwu, H. U. (2019). Musculo-skeletal symptoms and its severity among radiographers and sonographers in southern nigeria. J Adv Med Med Res, 29, 1-7.
Yizengaw, M. A., Mustofa, S. Y., Ashagrie, H. E., & Zeleke, T. G. (2021). Prevalence and factors associated with work-related musculoskeletal disorder among health care providers working in the operation room. Annals of Medicine and Surgery, 72, 102989.