INVESTIGATION OF THE PREVALENCE OF MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS AND SOME RELATED FACTORS AMONG THE NURSING POPULATION OF EDUCATIONAL HOSPITALS IN AHVAZ CITY, IRAN

Excessive body movements or prolonged postures cause disorders in body systems including the skeletal system, and lead to complications such as pain, deformity, and dysfunction. Nurses are one of the vulnerable groups in this regard due to their work type. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and some related factors in nurses of Ahvaz, Iran.

In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 196 nurses of teaching hospitals in Ahvaz were included into the study using by convenience sampling. After recording personal and occupational information, the spine was examined for kyphosis and lordosis abnormalities using a flexible ruler. Data were analyzed by SPSS software.

According to the results of the present study, among the studied nurses, 24 (12.2%) had lordosis and 58 (29.6%) had kyphosis. The prevalence of kyphosis and lordosis was not significantly different regarding weight, height, BMI, number of children, working hours per week, and workplace ward. The prevalence of kyphosis was not significantly different regarding gender and age, but the prevalence of lordosis was significantly different in terms of gender and age (p = 0.05), and was significantly higher in women and older ages.

Lordosis and kyphosis are prevalent in nurses of teaching hospitals in Ahvaz (with more prevalence of kyphosis than lordosis), so there is a need for more support, better working conditions, and the adoption of strategies to reduce occupational injuries.