Lacoste Jeanson Alizé, Romero Morales Monserrat, Flores Luna Rosa Itzel
Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, México.
UMR 5199 PACEA (De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel: Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie), Université de Bordeaux, Talence, France.
PLOS Glob Public Health. 2025 Apr 29;5(4):e0004574. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0004574. eCollection 2025.
Few medical studies are led in places where social security services are almost inexistent, leaving a gap in knowledge about occupational health risks tied to traditional crafts. This study investigates how traditional textile work-specifically embroidery and backstrap loom weaving work-affects the body in the Highlands of Chiapas, where these crafts represent a substantial part of thousands of women daily activity. Using multi-angle video recordings and interviews with adult women skilled in these crafts, the study evaluates musculoskeletal injury risk through biomechanical analysis. It examines movement types, repetition, involved body parts and muscles, and static postures. Tools such as the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA), Standardized Nordic questionnaires, and evaluation of skeletal changes support this assessment. Findings show frequent, repetitive motions in the upper limbs and fingers, often approaching joint mobility limits (e.g., elbows flexed 60-100°, wrists >15°). These are combined with static, physically demanding postures-spine, neck, and legs are under constant strain due to ground-level sitting positions with the hips flexed at 90°, neck >20°, and knees deeply flexed in some cases (cross-legged or kneeling). Potential musculoskeletal injuries include tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, tenosynovitis, bursitis, spinal disc herniation, and spondylolysis. Skeletal changes would mainly affect the hands, wrists, elbows, and spine, with asymmetry in embroidery and more symmetry in backstrap weaving. These may appear as localized entheseal changes and osteoarthritis. The study demonstrates the need of setting out preventive actions to reduce the injuries risk implied by traditional embroidery and backstrap loom weaving crafts. In order to assess actual musculoskeletal changes linked to those activities, a project is underway to examine bone markers specific to textile craftsmanship in ancient peoples of the same Maya area found buried with textile-making tools.
很少有医学研究是在社会保障服务几乎不存在的地方开展的，这使得与传统手工艺相关的职业健康风险方面的知识存在空白。本研究调查了传统纺织工作——特别是刺绣和背带织机编织工作——如何影响恰帕斯州高地地区女性的身体，在这些地区，这些手工艺是数千名女性日常活动的重要组成部分。该研究通过多角度视频记录以及对精通这些手工艺的成年女性进行访谈，运用生物力学分析来评估肌肉骨骼损伤风险。它考察了运动类型、重复次数、涉及的身体部位和肌肉以及静态姿势。诸如快速全身评估（REBA）、标准化北欧问卷以及骨骼变化评估等工具为这一评估提供了支持。研究结果表明，上肢和手指频繁、重复的动作，常常接近关节活动极限（例如，肘部弯曲60 - 100°，手腕>15°）。这些动作还伴随着静态的、对身体要求较高的姿势——由于臀部弯曲90°、颈部>20°以及在某些情况下膝盖深度弯曲（盘腿或跪着）的地面坐姿，脊柱、颈部和腿部承受着持续的压力。潜在的肌肉骨骼损伤包括肌腱炎、腕管综合征、腱鞘炎、滑囊炎、腰椎间盘突出症和椎骨溶解症。骨骼变化主要会影响手部、手腕、肘部和脊柱，刺绣工作中存在不对称性，而背带织机编织工作中则更为对称。这些变化可能表现为局部附着点变化和骨关节炎。该研究表明需要制定预防措施，以降低传统刺绣和背带织机编织手工艺所带来的受伤风险。为了评估与这些活动相关的实际肌肉骨骼变化，一个项目正在进行中，该项目旨在研究在同一玛雅地区发现的与纺织工具一同埋葬的古代人群中特定于纺织工艺的骨标志物。
