WRMSDs Among Orthopedic Surgeons (WRMSDs)

April 25, 2026 updated by: Radwa Hossameldin Mohammed Abdelmagid, Cairo University

Prevalence of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Orthopedic Surgeons: a Cross-Sectional Study

The investigators investigated the prevalence of WRMSDs in Egyptian orthopaedic surgeons.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Detailed Description

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) are syndromes characterized by soft tissue pain, stiffness, swelling, fatigue, and lack of control. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) defined Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) as an injury that affects a part of the musculoskeletal system encompassing bones, nerves, tendons, ligaments, joints, cartilage, blood vessels, and spinal discs.

Studies have shown that 60 % to 90% of all specialty surgeons suffer from pain and stiffness in their neck, back, or shoulders.

Physical occupational hazards associated with orthopedic surgery have raised growing concerns. The orthopedic surgery field exposes surgeons to a range of serious risks and imposes tremendous physical and emotional strain.

The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) was developed by Kuorinka et al. 1987. It is an easy, well-structured questionnaire comprising the whole body by describing nine functional sites for both sides: upper and lower limbs, neck, and lower back. It integrates questions on individual symptoms and activity constraint levels in the previous 12 months.

Statement of the Problem: The study will answer the following research question: What is the prevalence of Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among Egyptian orthopedic surgeons? Purpose of the study: This study will assess the prevalence, characteristics, and impact of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among Egyptian orthopedic surgeons.

Significance of the study: After reviewing the available previous published studies, it was found that there is limited research for both prevalence & ergonomic assessment considering Egyptian orthopedic surgeons. Ergonomic guidelines are often not followed in the operating theatre design and layout due to a lack of awareness. To the best of our knowledge, no study has evaluated the prevalence of MSDs among Egyptian orthopedic surgeons, although work-related injuries constitute more than 60% of all occupational illnesses.

Currently, there is a knowledge gap regarding the prevalence of WRMSDs among Egyptian orthopedic surgeons. Therefore, the current study aims to assess it, explore the types of WRMSDs, and identify the risk factors for developing WRMSDs among Egyptian orthopedic surgeons.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

285

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Egypt
    • Cairo Governorate
      • Cairo, Cairo Governorate, Egypt, 11865
        • Egyptian National Hospitals

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Egyptian orthopedic surgeons

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Egyptian orthopedic surgeons and participants must have been working for at least 5 years.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • any history of traumatic injuries of relevant regions within the past year such as whiplash injury, any history of surgical interventions of relevant regions within the past year, other medical conditions that may have a negative effect on the spine and upper extremities such as deformity, chronic diseases affecting the musculoskeletal system such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and other connective tissue disorders (such as fibromyalgia), neurological and orthopedic disorders as well as sensory deficits and consumption of any sedative drug or alcohol within the past 48 hours.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Prevalence of WRMSDs
Time Frame: 12 months
12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Regression Analysis
Time Frame: 12 months
relationship between age, BMI, working hours/week, No. of procedures/month and subspeciality (General, trauma, arthroplasty, spine, and upper extremity) as predictors, and surgeons having symptoms in the last 12 months as a response
12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Cairo University

Investigators

  • Study Director: Tasneem EA Mohammad, PhD, Lecturer, Department of Musculoskeletal Disorders and its Surgery, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
  • Study Chair: Nasr Awad Abdelkader, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Musculoskeletal Disorders and its Surgery, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

January 31, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

March 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 28, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 25, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 1, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 1, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 25, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • WRMSDs in Ortho Surgeons

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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