Correlation of Postural Abnormalities and Musculoskeletal Disorders With Work Experience and Body Mass Index of Car Repairmen

Purpose: In the profession of car repairmen, incorrect working and sitting positions for a long period are common, which increases the possibility of musculoskeletal disorders and postural abnormalities. Accordingly, this study aims to investigate the relationship between musculoskeletal disorders and postural abnormalities with work experience and body mass index (BMI) in car repairmen. Methods: A total of 60 car repairmen with more than 1 year of experience from Tehran Province and Alborz Province, Iran were selected and evaluated. The New York test with photography was used to determine postural abnormalities and the Nordic questionnaire was used to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders. The chi-square test was used to evaluate the prevalence and the Spearman test was employed to investigate the relationship between abnormalities and musculoskeletal disorders with work experience and BMI (P≤0.005). Results: The results showed that forward head posture abnormalities (75%), torticollis (73.3%), and uneven pelvis (66.7%), had respectively the highest prevalence. The lowest prevalence was related to abnormalities of scoliosis and slight chest depression (3.3%). In addition, musculoskeletal disorders in the lumbar area (56.7%) as well as upper back and knee (36.7%) are the most common disorders, and the lowest disorders are related to the ankles (11.7%) in car repairers. A significant relationship was found between work experience and uneven pelvis and forward shoulder abnormalities (P=0.004). Also, there was a significant positive correlation between BMI and the abdomen protruding (P=0.001). A significant relationship was found between work experience and knee pain (P=0.041); however, no significant relationship was found between BMI and any of the musculoskeletal disorders. Conclusion: According to the results, there is a relationship between BMI and work experience with common musculoskeletal disorders and postural abnormalities in car repairmen. However, no relationship was detected between BMI and musculoskeletal disorders. Therefore, it is important to improve the level of awareness in this population group regarding proper posture during and before starting their work.