A validation study of a questionnaire on occupational risk factors for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) was performed. A questionnaire designed for interviewing CTS patients to identify possible risk factors for CTS was developed based on a systematic review of published studies examining work practices and exposures implicated as causing CTS. The questionnaire consisted of eight questions designed to enable scores for five potential risk factors for CTS to be computed: use of force by hands and wrists, awkward wrist motions, duration of tasks requiring forceful or awkward wrist movements, exposure to cold, and exposure to vibrations. The questionnaire was evaluated using 238 residents of Montreal, Canada, who were being surgically treated for CTS. They had been employed in occupations such as cleaner or housekeeper, material handler, food and beverage processor, electronic data processing equipment operator, food and beverage server, and motor transport operator. Associations between the questionnaire scores for the five potential risk factors and the risk of CTS in the patients' occupations were examined by computing the standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) for CTS in these occupations. The SIRs were calculated using the background CTS rate in the general Montreal population as the reference. The CTS SIRs varied from 2.7 for employment as a motor transport operator to 10.6 for employment in cleaning and housekeeping. Use of force by the hands and wrists was the only potential risk factor associated with an increased risk for CTS. The mean scores increased significantly with increasing CTS SIRs. The authors conclude that questioning workers on the amount of force they have applied to perform tasks that are especially demanding for the wrists or hands is useful both clinically and for deciding whether an individual CTS case is occupationally related.

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