Hand-arm vibration syndrome, part 7.  HAVS not:

Cumulative and impact trauma disorders of the hand – work-related, but not due to hand-arm vibration

Summary:

In the final part of a series on hand-arm vibration syndrome, occupational physician Roger Cooke describes a range of work-related conditions caused by cumulative and impact trauma, which must be distinguished from those resulting from exposure to vibration.

The effects of hand-transmitted vibration are well described, even if the detail of the fundamental pathophysiology remains elusive, and have been the subject of an extensive series of articles in this journal^1,2,3. However, the occupational effects of repetitive or sustained blunt force to the hand are less widely recognised. This article describes a range of conditions that potentially result from forces applied to the palms, hands and digits occurring due to occupation, and which must be distinguished from conditions resulting from exposure to vibration…

 

Roger Cooke is a consultant in occupational medicine and honorary senior lecturer at the Institute of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the University of Birmingham.

 

Author: Cooke R

Tags havs - hand arm vibration syndrome injuries at work mental health msd - musculoskeletal disorder rsi - repetitive strain injury trauma

Occupational Health at Work October/November 2017 (vol. 14/3) pp31-35

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