title: Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among orthopedic trauma surgeons: an OTA survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Occupational injuries and hazards have gained increased attention in the surgical community in general and in the orthopedic literature specifically. The aim of this study was to assess prevalence and characteristics of musculoskeletal disorders among orthopedic trauma surgeons and the impact of these injuries on the surgeons' practices.
  
  
  METHODS
  We sent a modified version of the physical discomfort survey to surgeon members of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA) via email. Data were collected and descriptive statistics were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 86 surgeons completed the survey during the period of data collection; 84.9% were men, more than half were 45 years or older and 40.6% were in practice for 10 years or more. More than 66% of respondents reported a musculoskeletal disorder that was related to work; the most common was low back pain (29.3%). The number of body regions involved and disorders diagnosed was associated with increasing age and number of years in practice (p = 0.033). Time off work owing to these disorders was associated with working in a private setting (p = 0.045) and working in more than 1 institute (p = 0.009).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To our knowledge, our study is the first to report a high percentage of orthopedic trauma surgeons sustaining occupational injuries some time in their careers. The high cost of management and rehabilitation of these injuries in addition to the related number of missed work days indicate the need for increased awareness and implementation of preventive measures.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Surgery, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Que. (AlQahtani, Alzahrani, Harvey); and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Dammam, Dammam, Saudi Arabia (AlQahtani, Alzahrani).
authors.forename: Saad M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: AlQahtani
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Surgery, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Que. (AlQahtani, Alzahrani, Harvey); and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Dammam, Dammam, Saudi Arabia (AlQahtani, Alzahrani).
authors.forename: Mohammad M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Alzahrani
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Surgery, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Que. (AlQahtani, Alzahrani, Harvey); and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Dammam, Dammam, Saudi Arabia (AlQahtani, Alzahrani).
authors.forename: Edward J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Harvey
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D009985:Orthopedics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D066231:Surgeons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
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