Association of individual and work-related factors with the prevalence of self-reported carpal tunnel syndrome in a nationally representative survey of visual effect and animation professionals

This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors of self-reported carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) among visual effects (VFX) and animation professionals in Malaysia. VFX and animation professionals totalling 285 were randomly selected from the largest Malaysian digital art platform. They were surveyed on their clinical symptoms and individual and work-related characteristics using a self-administered questionnaire that included the Kamath and Stothard questionnaire. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors. Of the participants, 39.6% reported CTS. Female gender, lower educational level, family history of CTS, history of wrist injury, longer work hours, extreme wrist positions for more than two hours per day, and rest hours for one hour or less per day were associated with increased odds of self-reported CTS. The findings suggest a high burden of self-reported CTS among (VFX) and animation professionals. Practical recommendations include improving workplace ergonomics and conducting medical surveillance for at-risk workers to facilitate early and targeted interventions.