Sintomas musculoesqueléticos em trabalhadores com diferentes demandas físicas: influência do sexo e da idade

Abstract

Musculoskeletal symptoms such as pain, tingling and numbness are due to non-traumatic inflammatory or degenerative processes that can lead in the long term to musculoskeletal disorders, which are among the main causes of sick leave in Brazil and worldwide. These disorders affect workers differently according to physical demands at work, sex and age. In this context, this study aimed to identify the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms in workers with high physical demand (HPD) and low physical demand (LPD) with analysis stratified by sex and age. A descriptive cross-sectional study with 900 workers from diverse sectors of the interior central region of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Data were collected through a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and analyzed comparing the groups with HPD and LPF with analysis stratified by sex and age. Prior to stratification the HPD group had a higher prevalence of symptoms than the LPD group for the shoulder, lower back and ankle / foot regions. After stratification regarding sex, the HPD group had a higher prevalence of shoulder symptoms in women and lower back in men and ankle/foot for both sexes. Younger workers in the HPD group showed a higher prevalence of symptoms, and among the older ones, both presented the same prevalence except for the neck region, whereas in the LPD group there was a higher prevalence of symptoms. Sex and age influence the symptoms reported by workers in both groups, especially in the LPD