Chapter 4: Sonography Safety Issues Flashcards
What percentage of Sonography workforce report experiencing pain while scanning?
75%
How many Sonographers experience career ending injuries?
1 out of 4 or 25%
What is the major cause of muskoskeletonal injuries?
Poor working conditions
What is the creation of a safe working environment?
Ergonomics
What are some causes/mechanisms of injury?
Pressure, heavy workloads, poorly designed work areas, insufficient rest and recovery, age, stress, and gender.
What are Ergonomics and Work-Related Sonographer Injuries?
Tendonitis/Tenosynovitis of the shoulder, cervical spine, neck, wrist, and lower back.
Repetitive Strain Injuries or RSI
Specific Postures Associated with injury
Neck - Flexion/Extension, Side bending
Shoulder - Abduction/Flexion
Hand/Wrist - Flexion/Extension, Ulnar/Radial Deviation
Low Back - Twisting at waist, Static Postures.
What is Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS)?
A group of disorders brought on by compression on blood vessels or nerves in the space between the clavicle and first rib.
What are symptoms of TOS?
Pain in Neck/Shoulder area
Numbness/Weakness in hands/arms
What causes TOS?
Prolonged positions of arms over head/held out
Lack of rest
Repetitive lifting heavy objects
What is Neurologic TOS?
Compression of the brachial plexus nerves coming from the spinal cord.
What are the symptoms of neurologic tos?
Numbness/Tingling in fingers
Pain in Shoulder/Neck
Ache in Arm/Hand
Weakening in grip.
What is Vasular TOS?
Occurs when one or more subclavian vessels are compressed.
What are the symptoms of vascular tos?
Cyanotic (Bluish) appearance of the hand
Subclavian Vein thrombosis
Arm Pain/Swelling - blood clots possible
Throbbing lump near clavical
Pallor (Lack of Color) in fingers or hand
Tiny infarcts (Black Spots) on fingers
What is Buritis?
Inflammation of the small sac of fluid (bursa) that cushions and lubricates the area between the tendon and bone or around a joint.
