Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

LIVE: Thursday 27th June 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)
Join our expert panel to discover why you need to understand the drivers of non-adherence in your patients, and how you can optimize medication adherence in your clinics to drastically improve patient outcomes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation
Published in: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation 4/2010

01-12-2010

A Review of Occupational Knee Disorders

Authors: Christopher R. Reid, Pamela McCauley Bush, Nancy H. Cummings, Dianne L. McMullin, Samiullah K. Durrani

Published in: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation | Issue 4/2010

Login to get access

Abstract

Introduction Lower extremity knee disorders, like other cumulative disorders of the body, build up over time through cumulative exposures. 2006 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reveal that cumulative knee disorders account for 65% of lower extremity musculoskeletal disorders and 5% of total body musculoskeletal disorders. Methods The objective of the literature review was to find papers on work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) common to the knee region. From these, symptoms of the disorders, affected industries, and potential risk factors were assessed. Results A review of the literature divulges that knee disorders primarily consist of bursitis, meniscal lesions or tears, and osteoarthritis. Though kneeling and squatting are considered to be two of the primary risk factors correlated to these knee disorders, 12 other risk factors should also be contemplated. These 14 contributing risk factors include both occupational (extrinsic) and personal (intrinsic) variables that affect the labor industries. Example industries include mining, construction, manufacturing, and custodial services where knee bending postural activities exist as a commonality. Conclusion The understanding of the types of knee disorders, the affected occupations, and the job related risk factors will allow ergonomic practitioners and researchers to create and adjust work environments for the detection and lessening of knee work-related musculoskeletal risk. Further studies need to be conducted to (1) justify the presence of risk from certain risk factors and (2) enhance the understanding of risk factor dose–response levels and their temporal development.
Literature
1.
National Safety Council. Injury facts 2008 edition. Itasca: National Safety Council; 2008.
2.
Bureau of Labor Statistics. Workplace injuries and illnesses in 2006. Annual Report. Washington D.C.: United States Department of Labor; 2007. Report No.: 07-1562.
3.
Morken T, Mehlum IS, Moen BE. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders in Norway’s offshore petroleum industry. Occup Med. 2007;57(2):112–7.CrossRef
4.
National Safety Council. Injury facts. 2007 edition ed. Itasca: National Safety Council; 2007.
5.
Baker P, Reading I, Cooper C, Coggon D. Knee disorders in the general population and their relation to occupation. Occup Environ Med. 2003;60:794–7.CrossRefPubMed
6.
Kivimaki J, Riihimaki H, Hanninen K. Knee disorders in carpet and floor layers and painters: part II: knee symptoms and patellofemoral indices. Scand J Work Environ Health. 1994;26:97–101.
7.
National Research Council. Musculoskeletal disorders and the workplace: low back and upper extremities. Washington, D. C.: National Academy Press; 2001.
8.
Myllymaki T, Tikkakoski T, Typpo T, Kivimaki J, Suramo I. Carpet-layer’s knee: an ultrasonographic study. Acta Radiol. 1993;34:496–9.CrossRefPubMed
9.
Moore SM, Steiner ME, Mayton AG, Fitzgerald GK, Hubert JP. Keeping knees healthy in restricted work spaces: applications in low-seam mining. CDC Information Circular 9504. Pittsburgh: Department of Health and Human Services (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health); 2008. Report No.: 2008-130.
10.
Sharrard WJW. In: Pressure effects on the knee in kneeling miners Joseph henry lecture May 15, 1964; Sheffield, UK.; 1965. p. 309–24.
11.
Thun M, Tanaka S, Smith AB, Halperin WE, Lee ST, Luggen ME, et al. Morbidity from repetitive knee trauma in carpet and floor layers. British J Ind Med. 1987;44:611–20.
12.
Watkins JT, Hunt TA, Fernandez RHP, Edmonds OP. A clinical study of beat knee. British J Ind Med. 1958;15:105–9.
13.
Jensen LK, Mikkelsen S, Loft IP, Eenberg W. Work-related knee disorders in floor layers and carpenters. J Occup Environ Med. 2000;42(8):835–42.CrossRefPubMed
14.
Kivimaki J, Riihimaki H, Hanninen K. Knee disorders in carpet and floor layers and painters. Scand J Work Environ Health. 1992;18:310–6.PubMed
15.
Bruchal LC. Occupational knee disorders: an overview. In: Brittner AC, Champney PC, editors. Advances in industrial ergonomics and safety. 7th ed. London: Taylor & Francis; 1995.
16.
Torner M, Almstrom C, Karlsson R, Kadefors R. Working on a moving surface-a biomechanical analysis of musculoskeletal load due to ship motions in combination with work. Ergonomics. 1994;37(2):345–62.CrossRefPubMed
17.
Bhattacharya A, Mueller M, Putz-Anderson V. Traumatogenic factors affecting the knees of carpet installers. Appl Ergon. 1985;16(4):243–50.CrossRefPubMed
18.
Village J, Morrison JB, Leyland A. Biomechanical comparison of carpet-stretching devices. Ergonomics. 1993;36(8):899–909.CrossRefPubMed
19.
Sharrard WJW, Liddell FDK. Injuries to the semilunar cartilages of the knee in miners. British J Ind Med. 1962;19:195–202.
20.
Atkins JB. Internal derangement of knee joint in miners. British J Ind Med. 1957;14:121–6.
21.
Jensen LK, Eenberg W. Occupation as a risk factor for knee disorders. Scand J Work Environ Health. 1996;22:165–75.PubMed
22.
Kivimaki J. Occupationally related ultrasonic findings in carpet and floor layers’ knees. Scand J Work Environ Health. 1992;18(6):400–2.PubMed
23.
McMillan G, Nichols L. Osteoarthritis and meniscus disorders of the knee as occupational diseases of miners. Occup Environ Med. 2005;62:567–75.CrossRefPubMed
24.
Baker P, Coggon D, Reading I, Barrett D, McLaren M, Cooper C. Sports injury, occupational physical activity, joint laxity, and meniscal damage. J Rheumatol. 2002;29(3):557–63.PubMed
25.
26.
27.
Kellgren JH, Lawrence JS. Atlas of standard radiographs, vol 2: the epidemiology of chronic rheumatism. Oxford: Blackwells Scientific Publications; 1963.
28.
Jensen LK, Mikkelsen S, Loft IP, Eenberg W, Bergmann I, Logager V. Radiographic knee osteoarthritis in floorlayers and carpenters. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2000;26:257–62.PubMed
29.
Sandmark H, Hogstedt C, Vingard E. Primary osteoarthritis of the knee in men and women as a result of lifelong physical load from work. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2000;26(1):20–5.PubMed
30.
Vingard E, Alfredsson L, Goldie I, Hogstedt C. Occupation and osteoarthritis of the hip and knee: a register-based cohort study. Int J Epidemiol. 1991;20(4):1025–31.CrossRefPubMed
31.
Partridge REH, Duthie JJR. Rheumatism in dockers and civil servants: a comparison of heavy manual and sedentary workers. Ann Rheum Dis. 1968;27:559–68.CrossRefPubMed
32.
Anderson JJ, Felson DT. Factors associated with osteoarthritis of the knee in the first national health and nutrition examination survey (hanes I). Am J Epidemiol. 1988;128(1):179–89.PubMed
33.
Coggon D, Croft P, Kellingray S, Barrett D, McLaren M, Cooper C. Occupational physical activities and osteoarthritis of the knee. Arthritis Rheum. 2000;43(7):1443–9.CrossRefPubMed
34.
Cooper C, McAlindon T, Coggon D, Egger P, Dieppe P. Occupational activity and osteoarthritis of the knee. Ann Rheum Dis. 1994;53:90–3.CrossRefPubMed
35.
Felson DT, Hannan MT, Naimark A, Berkeley J, Gordon G, Wilson PWF, et al. Occupational physical demands, knee bending, and knee osteoarthritis: results from the framingham study. J Rheumatol. 1991;18(10):1587–92.PubMed
36.
Lau EC, Cooper C, Lam D, Chan VNH, Tsang KK, Sham A. Factors associated with osteoarthritis of the hip and knee in Hong Kong Chinese: obesity, joint injury and occupational activities. Am J Epidemiol. 2000;152:855–62.CrossRefPubMed
37.
38.
Manninen P, Heliovaara M, Riihimaki H, Suomalainen O. Physical workload and the risk of severe knee osteoarthritis. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2002;28(1):25–32.PubMed
39.
D’Souza JC, Werner RA, Keyserling WM, Gillespie B, Rabourn R, Ulin S, et al. Analysis of the third national health and nutrition examination survey (NHANES III) using expert ratings of job categories. Am J Ind Med. 2008;51:37–46.CrossRefPubMed
40.
US Department of Labor. Dictionary of occupational titles (DOT). 4th ed. Washington: US Government Printing Office; 1977.
41.
Reid CR, Bush PM, Karwowski W, Durrani SK. Occupational postural activity and lower extremity discomfort: a review. Int J Ind Ergon. 2010;40(3):247–56.CrossRef
42.
Sobti A, Cooper C, Inskip H, Searle S, Coggon D. Occupational physical activity and long-term risk of musculoskeletal symptoms: a national survey of post office pensioners. Am J Ind Med. 1997;32:76–83.CrossRefPubMed
43.
D’Souza JC, Franzblau A, Werner RA. Review of epidemiologic studies on occupational factors and lower extremity musculoskeletal and vascular disorders and symptoms. J Occup Rehabil. 2005;15(2):129–65.CrossRefPubMed
44.
Euser AM, Zoccali C, Jager KJ, Dekker FW. Cohort studies: prospective versus retrospective. Nephron Clin Pract. 2009;113(3):c214–7.CrossRefPubMed
45.
Noordzij M, Dekker FW, Zoccali C, Jager KJ. Study designs in clinical research. Nephron Clin Pract. 2009;113:c218–21.CrossRefPubMed
46.
Jin S, McCulloch R, Mirka GA. Biomechanical evaluation of postures assumed when harvesting from bush crops. Int J Ind Ergon. 2009;39(2):347–52.CrossRef
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
Porter W, Mayton A, Moore S. Pressure distribution on the anatomic landmarks of the knee and the effect of kneepads. Appl Ergon. (Forthcoming) 2010.
53.
Reid CR, Bush PM, Karwowski W, McMullin DL. In: The need for a lower extremity risk assessment model. Proceedings of the human factors and ergonomics society 53rd annual meeting, San Antonio; 2009. p. 887–91.
54.
Chen JC, Dennerlein JT, Shih TS, Chen CJ, Cheng Y, Chang WP, et al. Knee pain and driving duration: a secondary analysis of taxi drivers’ health study. Am J Public Health. 2004;94(4):575–81.CrossRefPubMed
55.
Rossignol M, Leclerc A, Allaert FA, Rozenberg S, Valat JP, Avouac B, et al. Primary osteoarthritis of hip, knee, and hand in relation to occupational exposure. Occup Environ Med. 2005;62:772–7.CrossRefPubMed
56.
Office of Population Censuses and Surveys. Standard occupational classification. London: HMSO; 1991.
57.
Campbell L, Pannett B, Egger P, Cooper C, Coggon D. Validity of a questionnaire for assessing occupational activities. Am J Ind Med. 1997;31(4):422–6.CrossRefPubMed
58.
Croft P, Cooper C, Wickham C, Coggon D. Osteoarthritis of the hip and occupational activity. Scand J Work Environ Health. 1992;18(1):59–63.PubMed
Metadata
Title
A Review of Occupational Knee Disorders
Authors
Christopher R. Reid
Pamela McCauley Bush
Nancy H. Cummings
Dianne L. McMullin
Samiullah K. Durrani
Publication date
01-12-2010
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation / Issue 4/2010
Print ISSN: 1053-0487
Electronic ISSN: 1573-3688
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-010-9242-8

Other articles of this Issue 4/2010

Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation 4/2010 Go to the issue

OriginalPaper

Return to Work After Cancer in the UK: Attitudes and Experiences of Line Managers

OriginalPaper

Experience of Health Complaints and Help Seeking Behavior in Employees Screened for Depressive Complaints and Risk of Future Sickness Absence

OriginalPaper

Age and Disability Employment Discrimination: Occupational Rehabilitation Implications

OriginalPaper

What Concerns Workers with Low Back Pain? Findings of a Qualitative Study of Patients Referred for Rehabilitation

OriginalPaper

Measuring Clients’ Perception of Functional Limitations Using the Perceived Functioning & Health Questionnaire

OriginalPaper

Understanding Employers’ Hiring Intentions in Relation to Qualified Workers with Disabilities: Preliminary Findings