What are work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs)?

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders affect every community. These disorders are the leading type of occupational injury in Washington State and incur the greatest costs to industry and the workers' compensation system. SHARP has conducted research on WMSDs since its inception in 1990.

Musculoskeletal disorders affect the soft tissue of the body, such as the muscles, the tendons that connect muscles to bones, ligaments that connect bone to bone, nerves and blood vessels. These disorders have also been referred to as: cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs), repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) and overuse injuries.

Examples of musculoskeletal disorders include:

• Carpal tunnel syndrome (the compression of the median nerve in the wrist).
• Epicondylitis (swelling of the tendon at the elbow).
• Rotator cuff syndrome (swelling and tearing of the tendons around the shoulder).
• Sciatic pain (pain radiating from the lower back to below the knee).

SHARP's research on work-related musculoskeletal disorders

• SHARP has conducted field research in many different industries in Washington State and has generated several technical reports that are available from SHARP's Publication Web page.
• SHARP analyzes Workers' Compensation claims of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in Washington industries to help focus injury prevention efforts.
• SHARP's report documenting the long-term impact of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome on worker earnings.
• A report describing the barriers and solutions to Safe Patient Handling in Washington State's healthcare industry.
• SHARP's occupational health surveillance for WMSDs is described on our Occupational Health Surveillance Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders Web page.

Other musculoskeletal disorder related resources

• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) / National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) Web site (www.cdc.gov): a research framework to guide the occupational safety and health research community. The agenda identifies 21 research priorities including musculoskeletal disorders.
• L&I's Ergonomics Ideas Bank: a collection of ideas that can help to reduce exposure to risk factors of work-related musculoskeletal disorders.
• The Institute for Work and Health (www.iwh.on.ca).
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (www.osha.gov): describes OSHA's approach to address musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace, including the strategy to reduce these injuries and illness.