Occupational Hazards
People who do manual labor or perform tasks with repetitive motion can eventually damage their joints and develop arthritis. Because companies and the medical community recognize the association of such actions with arthritis, companies implement protective measures to minimize the damage caused by the constant extension and flexion of joints and heavy lifting. However, suppose a worker does repetitive actions, such as pushing a cart or pulling a lever, for several years. In that case, it can lead to the deterioration of joint cartilage and bone, even if they are only minor tasks.
Other workers whose jobs involve heavy lifting or long-standing, squatting, kneeling, and climbing is at higher risk of developing arthritis in their knees. The journal Arthritis Care & Research published this research conclusion.
According to studies, most workers who lost their jobs and became disabled were afflicted with knee arthritis. The conclusion came from the results of 71 studies that involved 950,000 participants over the years. Those at higher risk are people engaged in physically-demanding jobs, such as builders, farmers, service workers, cleaners, miners, floor layers, and metal workers. The majority of the incidence of osteoarthritis of the knees is among agricultural workers, floor layers, and builders.
