Osifeso Temitope A, MacDermid Joy C, Berinyuy Dorala A, Parikh Pulak, Faber Kenneth J
Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Western University, 1201 Western Road, London, ON, N6G 1H1, Canada.
Clinical Research Lab, Hand and Upper Limb Centre, London, ON, N6A 4V2, Canada.
J Occup Rehabil. 2025 Jan 7. doi: 10.1007/s10926-024-10263-2.
Firefighters are routinely exposed to significant work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) which can sometimes be career-ending due to the workplace stressors and the physical demands of the job. Shoulder disorders are the third most frequent WRMSDs that cause pain, disability, and morbidity in the general working population. However, little is known about the task-specific causes and risk factors for work-related shoulder disorders (WSDs) among firefighters (FFs).
To explore the perspectives of FFs who experienced WSDs with respect to the following: (a) risk factors of WSDs; and (b) causative factors for WSDs.
Using an interpretive descriptive methodology, we purposefully sampled for age and occupational diversity. Twelve FFs (males, 8 and females, 4) between 26 and 63 years, who experienced WSDs during their career ranging from 3 to 33 years were recruited. One-on-one interviews based on a semi-structured interview guide were conducted via an online Zoom platform and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.
The WSDs reported by FFs included rotator cuff tears, labral tears and muscle sprains or strains. Three themes were identified as risk factors for WSDs: (1) too much or too little shoulder exercises is a risk for shoulder injuries; (2) internal contextual factors can increase the risk of shoulder injurie; and (3) personal factors such as age and sex mediate the risk of shoulder injuries. Three themes were reported by FFs as the causative factors of WSDs: (1) unpredictable hazards in harsh environmental conditions can lead to traumatic shoulder injuries; (2) maneuvering heavy equipment in non-ergonomic positions can lead to shoulder strains; and (3) routine firefighting tasks can lead to gradual onset of shoulder injuries.
Our results emphasized the inter-related and multifaceted nature of the risks and causative factors that increase the risk of traumatic or gradual onset WSDs among FFs. There is a need for a comprehensive prevention and self-management program that addresses fire-specific prevention and treatment program that addresses modifiable environmental, behavioral and personal risks factors.
消防员经常面临与工作相关的重大肌肉骨骼疾病（WRMSDs），由于工作场所压力源和工作的体力要求，这些疾病有时可能会导致职业生涯结束。肩部疾病是导致普通劳动人口疼痛、残疾和发病的第三大常见WRMSDs。然而，对于消防员（FFs）中与工作相关的肩部疾病（WSDs）的特定任务原因和风险因素知之甚少。
探讨经历过WSDs的消防员对以下方面的看法：（a）WSDs的风险因素；（b）WSDs的致病因素。
采用解释性描述方法，我们有目的地对年龄和职业多样性进行抽样。招募了12名年龄在26至63岁之间、职业生涯在3至33年之间经历过WSDs的消防员（男性8名，女性4名）。通过在线Zoom平台，根据半结构化访谈指南进行一对一访谈，并逐字转录。使用反思性主题分析对转录本进行分析。
消防员报告的WSDs包括肩袖撕裂、盂唇撕裂和肌肉扭伤或拉伤。确定了三个主题作为WSDs的风险因素：（1）肩部锻炼过多或过少会增加肩部受伤的风险；（2）内部环境因素会增加肩部受伤的风险；（3）年龄和性别等个人因素会介导肩部受伤的风险。消防员报告了三个主题作为WSDs的致病因素：（1）恶劣环境条件下不可预测的危险会导致肩部创伤性损伤；（2）在非人体工程学位置操作重型设备会导致肩部拉伤；（3）日常消防任务会导致肩部损伤逐渐出现。
我们的结果强调了增加消防员创伤性或逐渐发生的WSDs风险的风险和致病因素的相互关联和多方面性质。需要一个全面的预防和自我管理计划，该计划应针对火灾特定的预防和治疗计划，解决可改变的环境、行为和个人风险因素。
