Abstract
Carpet layers comprise less than 0.06% of the United States workforce yet they submit 6.2% of compensation claims for traumatic knee inflammation. Their work involves multiple sources of acute and chronic knee trauma including kneeling, pressure from sharp objects, and use of a device called a "knee kicker" to stretch wall to wall carpet. To characterise the knee morbidity in carpet layers and to identify occupational risk factors, a questionnaire was completed by 112 carpet and floor layers, 42 tile and terrazo setters, and 243 millwrights and bricklayers (MWBL). The MWBL comparison workers seldom kneel and do not use a knee kicker. Physical and xray examinations were conducted on a subset of 108 respondents to validate the questionnaire responses. Compared with the MWBL, carpet layers reported more frequent bursitis (20% v 6%), needle aspiration of knee fluid (32% v 6%), and skin infections of the knee (7% v 2%). A score indicating frequency of using the knee kicker was the only statistically significant predictor of bursitis, whereas the score for kneeling was one of several predictors of knee aspiration and skin infections of the knee. These data suggest that carpet and floor layers experience substantially more knee morbidity than other occupational groups, and that kneeling and use of the knee kicker are risk factors providing opportunities for prevention.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- ATKINS J. B., MARKS J. The role of staphylococcal infection in beat disorders of miners. Br J Ind Med. 1952 Oct;9(4):296–302. doi: 10.1136/oem.9.4.296. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lanza R. P., Cooper D. K., Barnard C. N. Effect of ABO blood-group antigens on long-term survival after cardiac transplantation. N Engl J Med. 1982 Nov 11;307(20):1275–1276. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198211113072018. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- SHARRARD W. J. PRESSURE EFFECTS ON THE KNEE IN KNEELING MINERS. Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 1965 Jun;36:309–324. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- WATKINS J. T., HUNT T. A., FERNANDEZ R. H., EDMONDS O. P. A clinical study of beat knee. Br J Ind Med. 1958 Apr;15(2):105–109. doi: 10.1136/oem.15.2.105. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Wickström G., Hänninen K., Mattsson T., Niskanen T., Riihimäki H., Waris P., Zitting A. Knee degeneration in concrete reinforcement workers. Br J Ind Med. 1983 May;40(2):216–219. doi: 10.1136/oem.40.2.216. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]