Frequency of Musculoskeletal Disorders among Hairdressers; A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders signify health problems involving locomotor apparatus such as muscles, joints, bones, tendons, nerves, cartilage, spinal discs and related tissues. Physical demands of the job like force, frequency of the task, weight handling, certain improper postures and standing for prolonged hours may increase the risk of musculoskeletal disorders which represent the main cause of absence from occupational work. Objective: To find out the frequency of musculoskeletal disorders among hairdressers. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that included 49 hairdressers who were recruited in this study using a non-probability sampling technique. Data was collected from various hair salons in Lahore. Both male and female hairdressers of age above 15 years were recruited in this study. Printed consent forms in English and Urdu were signed by the participants. The questionnaire was directed toward collecting the hairdressers’ demographic data like age, gender, duration of the job, the presence of any discomfort during working hours, affected area or body part and discomfort affecting activities of daily living and job efficiency. Mean and standard deviation was calculated for quantitative variables while frequency and percentage were calculated for qualitative variables. Results: The mean age of hairdressers who were included in this study was 24.97 ± 4.84 years. Almost 38 female and 11 male hairdressers were recruited in this study. Out of 49 hairdressers, 38 (77.6%) hairdressers reported musculoskeletal pain during their working hours. About 19 (38.8%) hairdressers reported the hand and wrist to be the region most affected by the discomfort, 12 (24.5%) reported it to be the thumb, 4 (8.2%) reported it to be the shoulders and 3 (6.1%) reported it to be lower back. Conclusion: This study concludes that the frequency of musculoskeletal disorders is high among hairdressers and the musculoskeletal pain at work affects the job efficiency of hairdressers and their activities of daily living. Taking short periods of breaks from work was used as a coping strategy by hairdressers to avoid discomfort.