Prevalence of Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome in Selective Garbage Collection WorkersCross Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS) is a Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD) not commonly studied in an occupational context. Its prevalence in the general population is 22.7%. There is, however, little evidence of the prevalence of PFPS in specific populations working in industry and services. In this context, this study aimed to assess the PFPS prevalence among workers in a garbage collection company. Methods: All 20 workers that drove the truck and worked in the collection of garbage dumped in the recycling bins of a company of selective garbage collection in recycling bins in Portugal were assessed by an occupational physician between March and December 2020. Results: Six workers (30%) were diagnosed with an PFPS. Discussion/Conclusion: This study showed a higher prevalence of PFPS than in the general population. Thus, our findings show the importance of studying the problem deeply and taking effective preventive measures in the work of selective garbage collection. (c) 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.