Work-related musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremities (WRMSDue) are one of the main causes of work-related illnesses in Europe. This catch-all term refers to both a wide array of disorders and the fact that work-related stresses are causal in their development. So, biomechanical (repetitive motions, effort, extreme joint postures) and psychosocial risk factors have been demonstrated. The role of stress and work-related psychosocial factors in the development of WRMSDue is still poorly understood and there is still no consensus on the epidemiological data. However, it seems likely that the body responds to stress factors through four systems - central nervous, autonomic nervous, endocrine and immune - which are constantly interacting as a complex network. Whether or not, the fact that we do not understand the specific mechanics of the associations between stress and WRMSDue is no reason not to put in place preventive measures which include organizational and psychosocial factors because there is sufficiently compelling scientific evidence to bear out the effectiveness of a holistic approach to work situations.

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