title: Carpal tunnel syndrome in women working in tea agriculture.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the frequency of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) among women using tea leaf scissors and compare it with normal population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred hands of 100 women using tea leaf scissors (tea leaf scissors group) and 112 hands of 56 healthy women (control group) were clinically and electrophysiologically evaluated for CTS. Women using tea leaf scissors were evaluated with visual analog scale (VAS) for pain and Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire for symptoms and functional status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Carpal tunnel syndrome was diagnosed bilaterally in 62 (62%) and unilaterally in 7 (7%) women using tea leaf scissors, whereas 2 (3.57%) bilateral and 6 (10.71%) unilateral cases of CTS was diagnosed in controls. The differences in demographic factors were not statistically significant. In women with CTS using tea leaf scissors, mean symptom severity, functional status, and VAS scores were 2.73±0.60, 2.42±0.71 and 5.19±1.84, respectively. There was statistically significant difference in the frequency of CTS between women using tea leaf scissors and the control group and the risk of having CTS among women using tea leaf scissors was approximately 12 times greater (p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In tea agriculture, working with repetitive flexions and extensions of the wrist highly increases the risk of developing CTS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University Faculty of Medicine, Rize, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gul
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Devrimsel
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University Faculty of Medicine, Rize, Turkey.
authors.forename: Serkan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kirbas
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University Faculty of Medicine, Rize, Turkey.
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yildirim
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University Faculty of Medicine, Rize, Turkey.
authors.forename: Aysegul Kucukali
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Turkyilmaz
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Balikesir University Faculty of Medicine, Balikesir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nilay
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sahin
keywords: Carpal tunnel syndrome; occupation; using tea leaf scissors