Prevalence of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and its Associated Risk Factors among Workers of Marble Industries of Abbottabad

Abstract

Pain, tingling, and numbness at the median nerve distribution on fingers and hands are the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), which mostly occurs in specific hand force workers. Thus, the objective of the present study was to find out the prevalence of CTS and its associated risk factors among workers in the Marble Industries of Abbottabad. This descriptive cross-sectional study's data was collected from 150 workers via convenience sampling. The inclusion criteria of this study were industrial workers of age between 20 and 60, and the exclusion criteria were female, chronic disease (diabetes, systemic disease), and those with peripheral nerve injury. A Boston carpal tunnel syndrome questionnaire was used for collecting samples from the Jadoon marble industry, Taj marble industry, Hazara marble industry, and Janzib marble industry. The data was analysed using SPSS version 20. Results showed that the mean age of workers was 36.52. Statistically, age, work experience, and types of work showed significant (P value > 0.05) associations, whereas type of activity showed a highly significant (P value > 0.01) association with CTS. Further, the study showed that the prevalence of CTS increased with increasing age, experience, and forceful activities. The study concluded that marble factory workers who work more than 6 hours per day, have a greater number of years of work experience, are older, and use repetitive movements or vibratory tools are at high risk of developing CTS. Hence, awareness campaigns and training were recommended for marble industry workers to increase awareness of hand posture and management.