Skip to main content
NCBI home page
British Journal of Industrial Medicine logoLink to British Journal of Industrial Medicine
. 1972 Jul;29(3):255–263. doi: 10.1136/oem.29.3.255

Vibration injuries in Norwegian forest workers

B Hellstr⊘m a,1, K Lange Andersen a
PMCID: PMC1009420  PMID: 5044596

Abstract

Hellstr⊘m, B., and Lange Andersen, K. (1972).Brit. J. industr. Med.,29, 255-263. Vibration injuries in Norwegian forest workers. A free medical examination with compensation for lost earnings was offered to the forest workers in three areas of eastern Norway. Sixty-six per cent attended (413 workers, of whom 296 used chain saws). The prevalence of Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) was 47% in chain saw operators, 14% in forest workers not exposed to vibration, and 9% in 302 indoor workers not exposed to vibration. The high prevalence of RP in chain saw operators was attributed to a traumatic vasospastic disease (TVD). The average time of latency was eight years. The standard symptoms of TVD were attacks of blanching and numbness. Cyanosis and pain occurred rarely. In subsamples, measurements of tactile two-point discrimination and maximal isometric muscle strength (hand grip and finger pressure) as well as x-ray examinations of the wrists and the hands gave no evidence of vibration injury to peripheral nerves, muscles, bones, or joints.

Full text

PDF
255

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. ANDA B. [Incidence of vasospastic disorders of hands ("white fingers") in miners in Sulitjelma]. Nord Hyg Tidskr. 1960;41:123–147. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. ASHE W. F., COOK W. T., OLD J. W. Raynaud's phenomenon of occupational origin. Arch Environ Health. 1962 Oct;5:333–343. doi: 10.1080/00039896.1962.10663291. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. ASHE W. F., WILLIAMS N. OCCUPATIONAL RAYNAUD'S. II. FURTHER STUDIES OF THIS DISORDER IN URANIUM MINE WORKERS. Arch Environ Health. 1964 Oct;9:425–433. doi: 10.1080/00039896.1964.10663861. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. DAVIES T. A. L., GLASER E. M., COLLINS C. P. Absence of Raynaud's phenomenon in workers using vibratory tools in a warm climate. Lancet. 1957 May 18;272(6977):1014–1016. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(57)91335-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. EJRUP B., SJOSTROM B. Raynauds fenomen hos tillbankningsarbetare. Nord Med. 1955 Jun 23;53(25):985–990. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. GROUNDS M. D. RAYNAUD'S PHENOMENON IN USERS OF CHAIN SAWS. Med J Aust. 1964 Feb 22;1:270–272. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. HOERNER E. F. Traumatic vasospastic disease of the hand (Raynaud's phenomenon). Ind Med Surg. 1952 Jun;21(6):297–302. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hellstrom B., Berg K., Vogt Lorentzen F. Human peripheral rewarming during exercise in the cold. J Appl Physiol. 1970 Aug;29(2):191–199. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1970.29.2.191. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hellstrom B., Myhre K. A comparison of some methods of diagnosing Raynaud phenomena of occupational origin. Br J Ind Med. 1971 Jul;28(3):272–279. doi: 10.1136/oem.28.3.272. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hellstrom B., Stensvold I., Halvorsrud J. R., Vik T. Finger blood circulation in forest workers with Raynaud phenomena of occupational origin. Int Z Angew Physiol. 1970;29(1):18–28. doi: 10.1007/BF00695705. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hunt J. H. Raynaud's Phenomenon in Workmen using Vibrating Instruments: (Section of Neurology). Proc R Soc Med. 1936 Dec;30(2):171–178. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. JEPSON R. P. Raynaud's phenomenon--a review of the clinical problem. Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 1951 Jul;9(1):35–51. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. MACKWORTH N. H. Finger numbness in very cold winds. J Appl Physiol. 1953 Mar;5(9):533–543. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1953.5.9.533. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. MAGOS L., OKOS G. RAYNAUD'S PHENOMENON. THE SITUATION IN THE HUNGARIAN IRON, STEEL AND ENGINEERING INDUSTRY. Arch Environ Health. 1963 Sep;7:341–345. doi: 10.1080/00039896.1963.10663543. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. MARSHALL J., POOLE E. W., REYNARD W. A. Raynaud's phenomenon due to vibrating tools; neurological observations. Lancet. 1954 Jun 5;266(6823):1151–1156. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(54)91666-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. NOVOTNY S., UHER G. [Contribution to spinal injury due to compressed air tool work (with the autopsy findings)]. Arch Gewerbepathol Gewerbehyg. 1959;17:339–346. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. PECORA L. J., UDEL M., CHRISTMAN R. P. Survey of current status of Raynaud's phenomenon of occupational origin. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J. 1960 Feb;21:80–83. doi: 10.1080/00028896009343311. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. SROKA K. H. Zur Frage der Vibrationser krankungen. Z Orthop Ihre Grenzgeb. 1951;80(3):487–493. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. STROMME S., ANDERSEN K. L., ELSNER R. W. Metabolic and thermal responses to muscular exertion in the cold. J Appl Physiol. 1963 Jul;18:756–763. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1963.18.4.756. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Smith A. R., Allen J. G. Vibration disease. Med J Aust. 1969 May 3;1(18):901–905. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1969.tb114685.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Stewart A. M., Goda D. F. Vibration syndrome. Br J Ind Med. 1970 Jan;27(1):19–27. doi: 10.1136/oem.27.1.19. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Takagi S. [Raynaud's phenomenon due to use of chain saws and chipping machines]. Jpn Circ J. 1968 Jan;32(1):99–110. doi: 10.1253/jcj.32.99. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Taylor W., Pearson J., Kell R. L., Keighley G. D. Vibration syndrome in Foresty Commission chain saw operators. Br J Ind Med. 1971 Jan;28(1):83–89. doi: 10.1136/oem.28.1.83. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Industrial Medicine are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES