Musculoskeletal workload and diseases
Several international cross-sectional studies illustrate the relevance of musculoskeletal workload among physical therapists[9–12]. Lumbar spine, upper back, neck, shoulders, wrists/hands and knees were mentioned as main localizations of these complaints[9–15]. With regard to international investigations the following occupational diseases (defined officially in the German Ordinance on Occupational Diseases)[16] caused by physical impact could be relevant to physical therapists in Germany: Diseases of the tendon sheaths (No. 2101), disc-related diseases of the lumbar spine (No. 2108), osteoarthritis of the knee (No. 2112), and meniscus lesions (No. 2102).