Relation between overhead work and complaints of pear and apple orchard workers

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The relation between working posture in overhead work and the complaints of farmers cultivating pears and apples were investigated by comparing pear work with apple work. The same 20 male and 28 female orchard workers were questioned about complaints associated with thinning out pears and bagging them, and bagging apples. The angle of forward flexion in the shoulder and neck extension was also measured in each job. The prevalence of tiredness, stiffness and pain in the neck, shoulders and arms was significantly higher in thinning out pears and bagging them than in bagging apples. Dizziness and tinnitus among female workers was more frequent in thinning pears. The posture of raising arms and bending the head backwards was higher in thinning and bagging pears. These results suggest that the working postures of elevated arms and backward head bending can cause symptoms in the neck, shoulders and arms. In some cases, they may also lead to symptoms of vertebral artery insufficiency.