A description of musculoskeletal injuries in a Canadian police service

• Authors: Liana Lentz , Donald Voaklander , Douglas P. Gross , Christine A. Guptill , Ambikaipakan Senthilselvan

Abstracts

EN

ObjectivesPolice officers run a risk of injury that is higher than in most other occupations. This study aims to quantify injury prevalence and identify common musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs) among police officers, using injury data from a municipal police service in Alberta, Canada.Material and MethodsThis is a descriptive study based on a secondary data analysis of the MSIs reported to the police service over a 41-month period; January 1, 2013 – June 2, 2016. Data from 1325 active police officers were examined, and injury prevalence was reported according to sex, injury diagnosis, the body part injured, and the work area.ResultsThe prevalence of strains and sprains was very high, at 89.2%. The back and shoulder were most frequently affected. Overall, injury proportions did not differ significantly across work areas. The injury risk was age-related but no significant differences in injuries between sexes were identified.ConclusionsMinor injuries such as strains and sprains occur frequently in the police occupation. Future research should focus on specific risk factors for MSIs in police officers in order to aid prevention.

Keywords

EN

police; occupation; musculoskeletal; prevalence; injury; sprains and strains

• Publisher: Instytut Medycyny Pracy im. prof. dra Jerzego Nofera w Łodzi
• Journal: International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health
• Year: 2019
• Volume: 33
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 59-66

Dates

published

2020

Contributors

author

Liana Lentz

• University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada (School of Public Health, Injury Prevention Centre)

author

Donald Voaklander

• University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada (School of Public Health, Injury Prevention Centre)

author

Douglas P. Gross

• University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada (Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Physical Therapy)

author

Christine A. Guptill

• University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada (Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Occupational Therapy)

author

Ambikaipakan Senthilselvan

• University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada (School of Public Health)

Identifiers

DOI

10.13075/ijomeh.1896.01454

Biblioteka Nauki

2116715