Work related musculoskeletal disorders among surgeons

The aim of the study was to review the current literature in order to know various measurement tools used, ergonomic risk factors and other finding related to work related musculoskeletal disorders among surgeons. Methodology: A systematic review was done using MEDLINE by the keywords "surgeons", "ergonomics" and "musculoskeletal disorders". All the articles were reviewed by two reviewers and studies which were not adequate and inappropriate were excluded. Study design, type of data collection, assessment tools and outcomes obtained in the respective study were noted. Reported surgical procedures included laproscopy, pediatric surgery, dermatological surgery, ENT and endoscopy. Results confirmed a strong association between musculoskeletal symptoms and the number of laparoscopies performed. Very few surgeons opted for treating their symptoms and the treatment methods largely included medications and physiotherapy.