Among nurses, low back pain is a common musculoskeletal disorder. A significant proportion of back pain episodes can be attributed to events that occur during patient handling activities when nurses are exposed to heavy lifting, awkward back postures, and pushing and/or pulling. In the past years, many …

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) have a high prevalence with over 75% of the Dutch adults reporting one or more complaints in the past 12 months. In a large population-based study back pain was most prevalent (44%), followed by complaints of neck (31%), shoulder (30%), and arms (23%). The high occurrence …

OBJECTIVES: Mechanical load during patient handling activities is an important risk factor for low back pain among nursing personnel. The aims of this study were to describe required and actual use of ergonomic devices during patient handling activities and to assess the influence of these ergonomic …