Prevalence of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Symptoms in Farmers Operating Motorized Equipment

Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common entrapment neuropathy of the upper limb, resulting from compression of the median nerve within the carpal tunnel.Occupational risk factors include repetitive wrist movements, forceful hand exertion, hand-arm vibration, and non-neutral wrist postures.Farmers operating motorized agricultural equipment may be exposed to these occupational stresses; however, evidence regarding questionnaire-reported CTS symptoms among Indian farmers remains limited.Objective: This study aimed to estimate the proportion of farmers reporting symptoms suggestive of CTS while operating motorized agricultural equipment and to examine the association between symptom severity and functional status using the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ), supplemented by clinical examination.Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among 90 farmers aged 25-45 years operating motorized agricultural equipment in and around Karad, Maharashtra, India.Participants were recruited through convenience sampling based on predefined eligibility criteria.The BCTQ was used as the primary patient-reported outcome measure and included the 11-item Symptom Severity Scale (SSS) and the eightitem Functional Status Scale (FSS).Responses were categorized into five levels: no symptoms or difficulty, mild, moderate, severe, and very severe.Phalen's test, Tinel's sign, and the Durkan compression test were also performed.Spearman's rank correlation was used to assess the association between participant-level BCTQ total scores.Results: Of the 90 participants, 74 (82.22%) were male and 16 (17.78%)were female.Among the 90 participants, 19 (21.11%) reported symptoms suggestive of CTS.The 95% confidence interval (CI) was 14.0-30.6%.Mild, moderate, and severe symptoms were present in three (3.33%),eight (8.89%), and eight (8.89%) participants, respectively.Mild, moderate, and severe functional difficulty occurred in three (3.33%),11 (12.22%), and five (5.56%) participants, respectively.Participant-level BCTQ total scores showed a very strong positive Spearman correlation (r = 0.9747, p = 0.0167).Conclusion: In this cross-sectional study, 19 of 90 farmers (21.11%) reported symptoms suggestive of CTS.This finding represents questionnaire-reported symptoms in a convenience sample and should not be interpreted as the prevalence of confirmed CTS.Greater reported symptom severity coincided with greater reported functional difficulty; however, this relationship should be interpreted cautiously because both outcomes were assessed using related components of the BCTQ.The study does not establish that operating motorized agricultural equipment causes CTS symptoms, nor does it demonstrate the effectiveness of screening or ergonomic interventions.Further studies involving larger and more representative samples, detailed occupational exposure assessment, evaluation of relevant confounding factors, and objective diagnostic methods such as nerve conduction studies (NCSs) are warranted.Such research may help guide evidence-based occupational screening and preventive strategies for agricultural workers.