Work-Related Injuries and Safety Concern among Physiotherapists in Libya: An Exploratory Study

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of and risk factors for work-related injuries among physiotherapists in Libya. A self-administered questionnaire was sent to 80 physiotherapists in Toubrok city, and neighboring area. Unconditional logistic regression was used to study the association between job exposures and the risk for work-related injuries. The questionnaire was returned by 58 physiotherapists. Of 58 subjects who answered specific questions about work-related injuries, 52 (53.5%) were affected by work-related injuries in at least one body part. Regions most affected were the lower back, the neck, elbows, and knees. For neck pain, associations were found with: manual therapy techniques (adjusted odds ratio [OR]53.90;95% confidence interval [CI]51.2–13.1); working in awkward or cramped positions (OR54.96; 95% CI51.3–18.7); and high psychological job demands (OR54.34; 95% CI51.2– 15.0). For lower back pain, associations were found with working in awkward or cramped positions (adjusted OR56.37; 95% CI51.6–24.7); and kneeling or squatting (adjusted OR54.76; 95% CI51.4–15.9). The majority of the respondents reported work-related injuries. General physical and psychosocial work-related exposures, as well as specific therapy tasks, were strongly associated with work-related injuries. The increased prevalence of symptoms among younger physical therapists in particular underlines the need for them to have at their disposal a range of strategies to reduce risks posed by their work and avoid injury. Most importantly, there is a need for further research to identify aspects of physical therapy practice that place therapists at greatest risk and to develop methods of reducing that risk.