Musculoskeletal injuries in aging Mexican immigrant agricultural workers: Association with pain, disability and health-related quality of life

Middle-aged and elderly individuals account for an increasing proportion of US migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSFW). Aging is associated with functional and other changes which increase the risk for musculoskeletal and other injuries, pain, disability, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) especially for workers in physically demanding manual occupations but little is known these in aging MSFW. The study recruited 177 US-Mexico border MSFW (age 40-80 yrs). Data were collected on participant characteristics, self-reported musculoskeletal injury and health conditions, HRQOL (SF-36 physical and mental composite scales), lower extremity function (SPPB), knee osteoarthritis pain, stiffness, and dysfunction (WOMAC), shoulder pain and disability (SPADI). Most participants were male (93%), middle-aged (56 + 8.8 yrs), Mexican-born immigrants (96%). Many (81%) reported suffering at least one work-related musculoskeletal injury associated with pain for the prior 12-months. These persisted an average of 5-8 weeks depending on injury site. Two-thirds (67.8%) reported current persistent musculoskeletal injury; 51% had multiple concurrent injuries. Injured participants had higher WOMAC (P < 0.001) and SPADI (P< 0.001) scores than non-injured participants; 12% had WOMAC scores suggesting severe knee osteoarthritis requiring knee replacement surgery. SPPB strength (P=0.004) and balance (P=0.012) but not walking scores decreased with increasing injuries. Participants with multiple injuries had reduced HRQOL as measured by SF-36 physical (P < 0.0001) and mental composite (P < 0.0001) scores, controlling for covariates. The study findings confirmed that persistent muscular injuries were highly prevalent and associated with a significant pain, physical disability, and poorer physical and mental HRQOL.