Table 4.
Biomechanical and psychosocial job factors and risk of CTS-related work disability, hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals adjusted for age, gender, BMI and consortium research site.
| PACE/QUALITY CHANGE | LOST TIME | JOB CHANGE | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cutoffs | Cohort (N) | Cases (n) | HR | 95%CI | Cohort (N) | Cases (n) | HR | 95%CI | Cohort (N) | Cases (n) | HR | 95%CI | |
| FORCE MEASURES (adj. for total repetition rate, % duration all exertions, % Time ≥30°WristFlexion) | |||||||||||||
| Peak Borg CR-10: Worker (0 to 10 scale) | 276 | 142 | 309 | 89 | 305 | 105 | |||||||
| Lower Tertile | ≤3 | 48 | 1.00 | 31 | 1.00 | 35 | 1.00 | ||||||
| Middle Tertile | >3 & ≤4.5 | 46 | 1.24 | 0.81–1.92 | 27 | 1.07 | 0.62–1.85 | 36 | 1.17 | 0.71–1.93 | |||
| Upper Tertile | >4.5 | 48 | 1.09 | 0.72–1.65 | 31 | 1.15 | 0.67–1.99 | 34 | 1.14 | 0.69–1.91 | |||
| Peak Borg CR-10: Analyst (0 to 10 scale) | 287 | 144 | 323 | 89 | 320 | 105 | |||||||
| Lower Tertile | ≤2.3 | 46 | 1.00 | 26 | 1.00 | 35 | 1.00 | ||||||
| Middle Tertile | >2.3 & ≤3.8 | 58 | 1.17 | 0.74–1.84 | 36 | 1.14 | 0.66–1.97 | 39 | 0.91 | 0.54–1.56 | |||
| Upper Tertile | >3.8 | 40 | 0.99 | 0.62–1.59 | 27 | 1.43 | 0.81–2.56 | 31 | 1.25 | 0.70–2.25 | |||
| REPETITION MEASURES (adj. for Analyst Rated Peak CR-10, % Time ≥30°WristFlexion) | |||||||||||||
| Hand Activity Level (HAL Scale: Analyst (0 to 10 scale) | 287 | 145 | 323 | 89 | 320 | 105 | |||||||
| Lower Tertile | ≤4 | 41 | 1.00 | 24 | 1.00 | 18 | 1.00 | ||||||
| Middle Tertile | >4 & ≤6 | 71 | 1.45 | 1.00–2.13 | 37 | 0.84 | 0.48–1.48 | 56 | 2.37 | 1.34–4.21 | |||
| Upper Tertile | >6 | 33 | 1.09 | 0.68–1.77 | 28 | 1.17 | 0.67–2.06 | 31 | 2.17 | 1.18–4.02 | |||
| Total Repetition Rate (reps/min) | 287 | 144 | 323 | 89 | 320 | 105 | |||||||
| Lower Tertile | ≤13.6 | 40 | 1.00 | 20 | 1.00 | 21 | 1.00 | ||||||
| Middle Tertile | >13.6 & ≤24.0 | 50 | 1.36 | 0.90–2.09 | 37 | 1.43 | 0.81–2.54 | 40 | 1.87 | 1.09–3.23 | |||
| Upper Tertile | >24.0 | 54 | 1.20 | 0.79–1.85 | 32 | 1.45 | 0.82–2.58 | 44 | 1.75 | 1.02–3.02 | |||
| Forceful Repetition Rate* (reps/min) | 293 | 145 | 329 | 89 | 326 | 105 | |||||||
| Lower Tertile | ≤2.3 | 41 | 1.00 | 25 | 1.00 | 26 | |||||||
| Middle Tertile | >2.3& ≤8.1 | 49 | 1.09 | 0.70–1.72 | 30 | 1.44 | 0.82–2.55 | 33 | 1.14 | 0.66–2.00 | |||
| Upper Tertile | >8.1 | 55 | 1.28 | 0.79–2.09 | 34 | 1.36 | 0.81–2.30 | 46 | 1.62 | 0.94–2.80 | |||
| DUTY CYCLE (adj. for Analyst Rated CR-10, % Time ≥30°Wrist Flexion) | |||||||||||||
| % Duration All Exertions (0 to 100%) | 287 | 144 | 323 | 89 | 320 | 105 | |||||||
| Lower Tertile | ≤58.6 | 44 | 1.00 | 29 | 1.00 | 27 | 1.00 | ||||||
| Middle Tertile | >58.6 & ≤75.8 | 46 | 0.90 | 0.61–1.36 | 30 | 0.96 | 0.56–1.65 | 43 | 1.82 | 1.09–3.06 | |||
| Upper Tertile | >75.8 | 54 | 1.62 | 1.03–2.56 | 30 | 1.15 | 0.69–1.93 | 35 | 2.20 | 1.22–4.01 | |||
| % Duration Forceful Exertions* (0 to 100%) | 293 | 145 | 329 | 89 | 326 | 105 | |||||||
| Lower Tertile | ≤11.0 | 39 | 1.00 | 27 | 1.00 | 28 | 1.00 | ||||||
| Middle Tertile | >11.0 & ≤28.6 | 52 | 1.29 | 0.83–2.02 | 27 | 1.17 | 0.68–2.06 | 33 | 1.12 | 0.65–1.96 | |||
| Upper Tertile | >28.6 | 54 | 1.51 | 0.95–2.41 | 35 | 1.38 | 0.83–2.33 | 44 | 1.74 | 1.02–2.98 | |||
| POSTURE MEASURES (adj. for Analyst Rated CR-10, total repetition rate, % duration all exertions) | |||||||||||||
| % Time ≥30°Wrist Extension (0 to 100%) | 287 | 144 | 323 | 89 | 320 | 105 | |||||||
| Lower Half | ≤3.3 | 66 | 1.00 | 45 | 1.00 | 45 | 1.00 | ||||||
| Upper Half | >3.3 | 78 | 1.04 | 0.72–1.50 | 44 | 0.84 | 0.52–1.35 | 60 | 1.11 | 0.72–1.73 | |||
| % Time ≥30° Wrist Flexion (0 to 100%) | 287 | 144 | 323 | 89 | 320 | 105 | |||||||
| Lower Half | ≤0.8 | 76 | 1.00 | 42 | 1.00 | 48 | 1.00 | ||||||
| Upper Half | >0.8 | 68 | 0.93 | 0.66–1.33 | 47 | 1.00 | 0.65–1.57 | 57 | 1.26 | 0.83–1.91 | |||
| OTHER (adj. for Analyst Rated Peak CR-10, total repetition rate, % duration all exertions, % Time ≥30°Wrist Flexion) | |||||||||||||
| Vibration | 276 | 139 | 306 | 88 | 303 | 104 | |||||||
| None | ≤0 | 61 | 1.00 | 32 | 1.00 | 43 | 1.00 | ||||||
| Some | >0 | 78 | 0.84 | 0.57–1.24 | 56 | 1.05 | 0.67–1.66 | 61 | 0.88 | 0.57–1.38 | |||
| 2018 ACGIH TLV for Hand Activity | 287 | 145 | 323 | 89 | 320 | 105 | |||||||
| Lower Tertile | < PFIAL | 20 | 1.00 | 14 | 1.00 | 13 | 1.00 | ||||||
| Middle Tertile | ≥ PFIAL & < PFITLV | 43 | 1.24 | 0.70–2.22 | 20 | 0.79 | 0.40–1.56 | 28 | 1.02 | 0.50–2.07 | |||
| Upper Tertile | ≥ PFITLV | 82 | 1.37 | 0.79–2.39 | 55 | 1.27 | 0.72–2.25 | 64 | 1.56 | 0.80–3.04 | |||
| WORK PSYCHOSOCIAL EXPOSURES | |||||||||||||
| Psychological Job Demands** | 142 | 38 | 175 | 12 | 176 | 16 | |||||||
| Low Demands | <32 | 15 | 1.00 | 4 | 1.00 | 4 | 1.00 | ||||||
| High Demands | ≥32 | 23 | 1.53 | 0.82–2.89 | 8 | 2.15 | 0.60–7.73 | 12 | 3.39 | 1.04–11.08 | |||
| Decision Latitude | 141 | 38 | 173 | 12 | 174 | 16 | |||||||
| Low Latitude | <60 | 20 | 1.00 | 8 | 1.00 | 9 | 1.00 | ||||||
| High Latitude | ≥60 | 18 | 0.64 | 0.33–1.28 | 4 | 0.32 | 0.11–1.01 | 7 | 0.45 | 0.16–1.28 | |||
| Job Strain | 141 | 38 | 173 | 12 | 174 | 16 | |||||||
| Low Strain | 9 | 1.00 | 2 | 1.00 | 2 | 1.00 | |||||||
| Passive Strain | 9 | 1.12 | 0.45–2.81 | 2 | 1.75 | 0.27–11.39 | 5 | 3.18 | 0.64–15.98 | ||||
| Active Strain | 6 | 1.09 | 0.41–2.95 | 2 | 2.83 | 0.45–18.2 | 2 | 2.09 | 0.33–13.29 | ||||
| High Strain | 14 | 2.15 | 0.95–4.91 | 6 | 4.82 | 1.04–22.54 | 7 | 6.58 | 1.27–34.25 | ||||
*
only adjusted for posture (% Time ≥30°WristFlexion)