Occupational mechanical trauma

The literature on the chronic effects of occupational mechanical trauma, including friction, is rather scanty (Susten 1985). Menne (1983) described a post-office worker with palmar dermatitis resulting from constant friction on the palm with a rough-surfaced tabletop. Menne and Hjorth (1985) reported cases of frictional dermatitis in workers handling large quantities of pressure-sensitive carbonless copy paper. Storrs (1994) observed a case of frictional dermatitis associated with paperwork, and we presented a case of hand dermatitis caused by telefax paper (Kanerva et al. 1992). Storrs (1994) believes that frictional dermatitis seen on the fingertips of secretaries is one variant of the entity of... 

Osteoarthritis proves to be a more complex disease than autoimmune disease, with multiple variable manifestations like knee, hip, hand, DIP, elbow, shoulder, and spinal joints OA, which have different risk factors. The etiology of OA is multifactorial with inflammatory, metabolic and mechanical causes. A number of personal and environmental risk factors, such as obesity, occupation, and trauma, may initiate various pathological pathways. OA comprises degeneration of articular cartilage together with changes in subchondral bone of the joint margins and mild intraarticular inflammation. 

B. Musculoskeletal conditions, including acute mechanical trauma, are the most common occupational medicine problem but rarely have direct toxicological implications. 

Samitz M (1985) Repeated mechanical trauma to the skin occupational aspects. Am J Ind Med 8 265-271... 

Table 1. Occupational marks by mechanical trauma. The table is updated from the study by Ronchese (1948) and other more recent data (Kanerva 1998, 1999)...

Repeated mechanical injuries are capable of enhancing papillomas and carcinomas in mouse skin (Argyris 1985). Repeated mechanical trauma at work could predispose to epidermal neoplasms, but this has not been proven (Argyris 1985). Malignancies occurring in burn scars have been accepted as occupational cancers (Epstein et al. 1990). About 15% of Canadian farmers with skin cancer reported a past history of trauma or frostbite in the involved area (Hogan and Lane 1986). 

The effects of mechanical trauma on nails is discussed in Chap. 31. We recently reported on two hairdressers with occupational koilonychia from the combined effect of mechanical trauma and ammonium thioglyco-late present in solutions for permanent waves (Alanko et al. 1997). 

In Occupational medicine. State of the Art Reviews 1 285-300 Joung RS, Bry K, Ratner H (1977) Selective phalangeal tuft fractures in a guitar player. Br J Radiol 50 147-148 Kanerva L (1990) Physical causes of occupational skin disease. Mechanical trauma. In Adams, RM (ed) Occupational skin disease, 2nd edn. Saunders, Philadelphia, pp 41-65 Kanerva L (1996) Mechanical causes of occupational skin disease. In van der Valk P, Maibach HI (eds) The irritant contact dermatitis syndrome. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 195-204 Kanerva L (1999) Physical causes of occupational skin disease. In Adams RM (ed) Occupational skin disease, 3rd edn. Saunders, Philadelphia, 35-68... 

As far as clinical findings are concerned, there is no characteristic aspect, localization or clinical course of occupational contact dermatitis in tanners (Foussereau et al. 1982). Adams (1990) mentioned callosities as occupational marks caused by mechanical trauma on the thumbs of leather buffers, on the right index fingers of cutters and on the knuckles of glazers. 

Mechanical insults to the skin can cause a wide variety of clinical manifestations. The clinical picture is then a summation of the various mechanical forces on the skin. Many traumas are common and accepted as natural occurrences by workers who do not often seek occupational compensation. During a 7-year period... 

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