Abstract:
Muscles, tendons, joints and nerves are susceptible to injury when stressed or traumatised repetitively, or over an extended
period of time. Regardless of the nature of the work, a large proportion of the working population’s time is spent engaged
in repetitive movements and maintaining postures for extended periods of time. The reported incidence of work-related
back and neck pain, and carpal tunnel syndrome, is between 15-60%,1-3 indicating that a high proportion of the working
population is at risk of developing one or more work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The parts of the body that are most
commonly affected are the lower back, neck and shoulder girdle, and upper limbs. Based on current literature, we shall
discuss conditions affecting these areas in order to gain a better understanding of the conditions, as well as their prevention.
