What are ULDs?

Upper limb disorders (ULDs):

• Are aches, pains, tension and disorders involving any part of the arm from fingers to shoulder, or the neck
• include problems with the soft tissues muscles, tendons and ligaments, along with the circulatory and nerve supply to the limb; and
• are often caused or made worse by work

ULDs include recognised conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tenosynovitis, and also conditions where there is pain but no recognised condition can be identified. Other terms such as repetitive strain injury, cumulative trauma disorder or occupational overuse syndrome are used. These common terms can be misleading with regard to the many factors that can contribute to the onset of the conditions, therefore the term upper limb disorder is preferred.

What are the symptoms?

• tenderness
• aches and pain
• stiffness
• weakness
• tingling
• numbness
• cramp
• swelling

What causes a ULD?

• Repetitive work
• Uncomfortable working postures
• Sustained or excessive force
• Carrying out a task for a long period of time
• Poor working environment and organisation (eg temperature, lighting and work pressure, job demands, work breaks or lack of them)
• Individual differences and susceptibility (some workers are more affected by certain risks)

The way the work is organised and managed can make a significant contribution to the risk of ULDs as well as make them worse.

Workers may be more likely to suffer an upper limb problem if exposed to more than one risk factor.

These risk factors are described in more detail on the reducing and managing risk pages.

What if I have these risk factors in my workplace?

Just because a worker is exposed to these risk factors this does not necessarily mean they will end up with a ULD, or that the risks cannot be adequately controlled. For further information visit the ' how to reduce the risks' page.

More on dealing with ULDs

Information for:

• employers
• workers
• health professionals