MSD prevention

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) refer to injuries of the muscles, ligaments and other soft tissues, including back, neck, shoulder and wrist pain. They are also known as repetitive strain injuries and cumulative trauma disorders. IWH conducts a wide range of research on MSDs—exploring how often they occur, what work-related factors contribute to them, their treatment and functional assessment, and the system- and workplace-level prevention and return-to-work programs that can help prevent and manage them.

Featured

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Participatory approach to health and safety in long-term care

Involve front-line staff when identifying and controlling hazards at long-term care homes. Those who do a job every day know the associated hazards best. A participatory approach can help prevent injuries.
Published: October 2, 2019
Product guide
Product guide

Using IWH research to prevent MSDs

This guide to IWH resources points ergonomists, kinesiologists and other workplace musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) prevention specialists to tools, guides and information products from IWH that can help ensure evidence-based information is incorporated into MSD prevention policies and practices.
Published: February 2017
Management and workers at K-W Hydro share a chat
Impact case study

Reduced soft-tissue injuries at Ontario utility attributed to work by ergonomics team set up during IWH study

Ten years after it took part in a participatory ergonomics study, Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro's change team was still going strong.
Published: December 2016
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IWH in the media

Making the business case for safety: Case study shows benefits of participatory ergonomics continue for years

Implementing a participatory ergonomics program takes time and money. To get your company’s senior management on board with such a program, show them this case study from the Institute for Work & Health (IWH), which shows how an Ontario utility continued to benefit years after implementing a participatory ergonomics program.
Published: OHS Insider, October 2016
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Video

Preventing upper extremity injuries at work

Strong evidence suggests that workplace-based resistance training can help prevent and manage musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) of the upper extremity, which includes the neck, shoulder, arm, elbow, wrist and hand. That’s one of the key findings coming out of a systematic review conducted by the Institute for Work & Health (IWH).
Published: October 2016
Close-up of faceless man doing pushups
Sharing Best Evidence

What workplace programs help prevent upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders?

Upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) include painful conditions and injuries of the muscles, tendons, joints and nerves that affect the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists and hands. This update of a previous systematic review sets out to find occupational health and safety (OHS) interventions that effectively prevent and manage upper extremity MSDs.
Published: October 2016
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IWH in the media

Forceful motion key risk factor for carpal tunnel syndrome

Workers who often use their hands in a forceful gripping and pinching motion face a higher risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome, a painful condition that causes tingling, numbness and weakness in the hand and sometimes requires surgery, according to recent research.
Published: Canadian Occupational Safety, October 2016
PREMUS conference delegate stands to ask a question
At Work article

PREMUS 2016 brings together MSD prevention scientists and practitioners to share evidence

For three days, the best and brightest researchers on work-related MSDs gathered and shared their work. Here's a recap of the PREMUS 2016 keynotes.
Published: August 2016
A black and white view of construction scaffolding on a building
At Work article

Eight safety leading indicators for the construction worksite

What do flex and stretch programs at construction worksites have to do with safety climate and safety culture? A PREMUS keynote speaker thinks she has the answer.
Published: August 2016
A close-up view of a pair of work boots
At Work article

'Too much standing hurts, too'

It might be a common perception that prolonged sitting is linked to increased pain or injury, but the evidence indicates that too much standing is also a risk factor, says PREMUS keynote speaker Dr. Jack Callaghan.
Published: August 2016
A black and white image of a wrist gripping a tool
At Work article

Forceful repetition a carpal tunnel risk factor

Repetitive hand motion and wrist posture alone aren't risks for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), but forceful hand exertion is.
Published: August 2016