25premus091 10.3205/25premus091 urn:nbn:de:0183-25premus0912 Meeting Abstract Hartmann Hartmann Bernd B

ArbMedErgo, Hamburg, Germany

author Spahn Spahn Gunter G

Eisenach, Germany

author German Medical Science GMS Publishing House

Düsseldorf

610 20250909 engl This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Dieser Artikel ist ein Open-Access-Artikel und steht unter den Lizenzbedingungen der Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (Namensnennung). M0625 091 12th International Scientific Conference on the Prevention of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders PREMUS 2025 Oral PS 19 Tübingen 20250909 20250912 091 TextIntroduction: In Germany, rotator cuff tears caused by hand-arm vibrations can be recognized as an occupational disease since April 2025, if they are caused by hand-arm vibrations. Methods: Analysis of the scientific literature used in the justification and other sources.Results: The justification for the occupational disease “rotator cuff damage” is based on epidemiological studies. The most important basis presented as “proven” is the systematic review by Seidler et al. . It refers to van der Molen et al. . In this respect, this work by Seidler should be understood as an update. In trauma surgery, damage to the rotator cuff during HAV impacts is only known by heavy equipment that has to be held. Discussion: Justifikation for rotator cuff damage is based on epidemiological studies. Here the evidence up to 2020 spoke against legally significant damage to the structures of the shoulder joints caused by HAV. Little is known experimentally about the energy transfer from the point of application in the hands to the target region of the rotator cuff.Mechanical and electromyographic measurements showed energy losses between hand, elbow and shoulder. This was confirmed by Xu et al. using a design developed at NIOSH. Emerging from the hand at medium frequencies, only about a quarter of the total vibration energy reaches the shoulder.Conclusions: Rotator cuff damage caused by hand-arm vibrations is questionable. The biological plausibility of an epidemiologically suspected cause-effect relationship must be examined in discussion according to good epidemiological practice, this includes experimental evidence. Seidler A Romero Starke K Freiberg A Hegewald J Nienhaus A Bolm-Audorff U Dose-Response Relationship between Physical Workload and Specific Shoulder Diseases-A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis 2020 Int J Environ Res Public Health 1243 Seidler A, Romero Starke K, Freiberg A, Hegewald J, Nienhaus A, Bolm-Audorff U. Dose-Response Relationship between Physical Workload and Specific Shoulder Diseases-A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Feb 14;17(4):1243. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17041243 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17041243 van der Molen HF Foresti C Daams JG Frings-Dresen MHW Kuijer PPFM Work-related risk factors for specific shoulder disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis 2017 Occup Environ Med 745-55 van der Molen HF, Foresti C, Daams JG, Frings-Dresen MHW, Kuijer PPFM. Work-related risk factors for specific shoulder disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Occup Environ Med. 2017 Oct;74(10):745-55. DOI: 10.1136/oemed-2017-10433 http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2017-10433 Xu XS Dong RG Welcome DE Warren C McDowell TW Wu JZ Vibrations transmitted from human hands to upper arm, shoulder, back, neck, and head 2017 Int J Ind Ergon 1-12 Xu XS, Dong RG, Welcome DE, Warren C, McDowell TW, Wu JZ. Vibrations transmitted from human hands to upper arm, shoulder, back, neck, and head. Int J Ind Ergon. 2017 Dec;62:1-12. DOI: 10.1016/j.ergon.2016.07.001 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ergon.2016.07.001 0 0 0 0