Musculo – skeletal stress in nursing staff and its association with health disorders Aim of the study was to investigate health complaints and work pressure among nursing staff, and to evaluate the associations of musculo - skeletal stress with their health disorders. Methods. During October - December, 2003, 300 employees of one Kaunas hospital were interviewed. In this case - control study, 100 respondents were included into the case group, and 200 were controls. The main criterion for the selection of controls was no engagement in activities characteristic of a nurse and an assisting nurse. The questionnaire was anonymous. Statistical analysis of the obtained findings was performed using SPSS 12 statistical software package. Results. Nurses whose work was not related to lifting weights (the control group) more frequently complained of pains in the neck (87,5 %), the shoulder girdle (91,7 %), and the back (93,2 %), whereas those whose work was related to lifting weights, more frequently complained of pains around the waist (73,0 %) and in the legs (94,9 %). The study showed that the pain syndrome in the arms by two times more frequently occurred in the control group (12,1 % compared to 6,0 % in the case group), which is characteristic of the sedentary job, especially computer work. Pain syndrome in the legs by four times more frequently occurred in the case group, compared to controls, which is typical of work related to weight lifting. The evaluation of the activities... [to full text]