Work related upper limb disorders (WRULD) caused by the use of visual display units (VDU) continue to cause painful conditions. Type 1 WRULD refers to localise, clearly defined syndromes such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, de Quervain’s Syndrome and Lateral Epicondylitis (Ireland 1988). This is the largest group and is relatively easy to diagnose and treat. Hutson (1997), defined Type 2 WRULD as non-traumatic upper limb pain of unclear cause. It is far more difficult to diagnose as regional pain syndromes, which have vague definitions, for example Regional Allodynia or Hyperalgesia, characterize it.

The difficulty in diagnosing Type II WRULD is partly due to the fact that until recently no specific objective test was available and, as a consequence, has commonly been diagnosed on the basis of exclusions. Treatment is often delayed and therefore prolonged because of the lack of a diagnostic tool. These conditions can be career threatening as a result of significant loss of work capacity. This is often compounded by the uncertainty of future recovery potential and response to the proposed treatment regimes is difficult to quantify. Under such circumstances some employers may be inclined to medically retire the patient rather than have them participate in lengthy rehabilitation programmes. However our group have recently published an article:

Bo POVLSEN et al. Use Of The “Typing Capacity Cycle” Test As An Assessment Tool For Keyboard Users With Work Related Upper Limb Disorder. Brit. J. Hand Therapy. 2004. 9: 84-87.

Describing a diagnostic test which is simple, reproducible and cost-effective and that can assess the prospective work capacity of keyboard users with Type 2 WRULD in realistic test conditions. We now use this test as a part as our extensive investigation for this troublesome condition.

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