This article presents the results of a brief review of shoulder diseases and their association with work. Pertinent studies, identified by the keywords shoulder pain, rotator cuff, and job were reviewed in the reference databases Medline, Ovid, Lilacs and Capes journals (January 1993 to July 2004). The articles were chosen according to the following criteria: either epidemiological or experimental surveys having been published in English, Portuguese or Spanish, with information about physical demands or psychosocial factors of work, evaluation of exposure, presence of shoulder pain or rotator cuff lesion. After the search, 20 articles were included in the revision. The articles show a relationship between shoulder diseases and working in awkward postures. The limitations to the revision observed were: heterogeneity of the exposure and diagnosis, methodological problems and the methods to evaluate pain. The authors discuss the need of new methods of investigation for work-related musculoskeletal diseases.
Shoulder Pain; Rotator Cuff; Work
