Abstract

Objective: To determine how common shoulder and neck pain is among railway porters at Faisalabad Railway Station.
Methodology: This cross-sectional study included 75 railway porters from Faisalabad Railway Station using purposive sampling. Those having 30-60 years age, lifted loads of at least 40-45kg daily for 10-12 hours and had 1-2 years of work experience were included in the study. Those with pre-existing neurological conditions (e.g., tremors) and musculoskeletal conditions (e.g., fractures) were excluded. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was employed. Shoulder and neck pain with dysfunction was assessed using Standard questionnaire Shoulder Pain and Disability Index and Neck Disability Index.
Result: The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire indicated prevalence of shoulder (89.33%) and neck pain (85.3%) making them most affected. With other regions experiencing pain as upper back (44%), lower back (42.66%), knee (26.66%), elbow (20%), hip (14.66%), ankle (6.66%) and wrist (6.66%). The Shoulder and Neck Pain and Disability Index showed mean score of 13.94±12.72 and 14.32±11.29, respectively.
Conclusion: A notably high prevalence of shoulder and neck pain and discomfort was observed among railway porters as compared to other regions.

Key words: Neck pain, shoulder pain, railway porters, NORDIC Questionnaire, SPADI, NDI.