Abstract
Aim: To identify the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and the role of certain occupational and
biopsychosocial risk factors in the development of these musculoskeletal disorders in the undergraduate
Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences students at the University of Johannesburg.
Method: This study was a secondary quantitative correlation data analysis of the Medical Imaging and
Radiation Sciences students data from the unpublished 2019 study on the “Prevalence of
Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Undergraduate Health Sciences Students at the University of
Johannesburg: Biomedical Technology, Environmental health, Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences”
done by Bensusan, Moodley and Ismail, 2019.
Results: There was an 89.1% prevalence rate of musculoskeletal disorders in the participants’ lifetime,
with the greatest number of participants experiencing lower back pain (66.9%) and neck pain (60.3%).
The prevalence of pain in the 12 months before they completed the questionnaire was 77.8%. The most
participants had experienced pain in the lower back (53.1%) and neck (43.5%). The risk factors that
affected the most body areas with musculoskeletal pain were the number of hours spent in practical
classes and recreational sports. Nine other risk factors were further noted to be statistically significant for
the development of musculoskeletal pain in Medical Imaging and Radiation undergraduate students.
Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in undergraduate students studying
Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences and the risk factors pertaining to the pain experienced were
multifactorial and varied. Lower back pain and neck pain was experienced most often, and hip and thigh
pain were experienced least often.
M.Tech. (Chiropractic)