Sprains, Strains, and Tears
Sprains, strains, and tears accounted for 4 out of 10 nonfatal injuries and illnesses involving days away from work in 2001 [BLS 2003e]. Sprains, strains, and tears constituted the leading injury and illness category for every major private industry division. Slightly more than a fourth of these cases (27.3%) resulted from overexposure to lifting, and 45.1% of the cases were back sprains, strains, or tears [BLS 2003e]. Sprain, strain, and tear cases include avulsion, hemarthrosis, rupture, strain, sprain, or tear of joint capsule, ligament, muscle, or tendon. Sprain, strain, and tear cases are of moderate severity (Figure 2–143). In 2001, they involved a median of 6 days away from work—the same median reported for all nonfatal injuries and illnesses [BLS 2003a].
BLS reported 669,889 sprain, strain, and tear cases involving days away from work in 2001 (Figure 2–138). Rates declined 44.9% during 1992–2001, from 133.7 per 10,000 full-time workers in 1992 to 73.7 in 2001 (Figure 2–139). Most cases involved workers who were aged 25–54 (77.8%) (Figure 2–140), male (64.1%) (Figure 2–141), and white, non-Hispanic (69.9%) (Figure 2–142). Two occupational groups accounted for more than 57.6% of sprain, strain, and tear cases: operators, fabricators, and laborers (38.8%) and service workers (18.8%) (Figure 2–144). Rates exceeding the private-sector rate were reported for transportation and public utilities (147 per 10,000 full-time workers), construction (116.8), agriculture, forestry, and fishing (91.6), and wholesale trade (81.2) (Figure 2–145). Two industry sectors (transportation and public utilities and construction) had consistently higher rates than other sectors during this 10-year period. These sectors experienced rate reductions of 41.5% and 30.4%, respectively (Figure 2–146).
Magnitude and Trend
How did the number of sprain, strain, and tear cases change during 1992–2001?
 | Figure 2-138 Number of sprain, strain, and tear cases involving days away from work in private industry, 1992-2001. The annual number of sprain, strain, and tear cases involving days away from work declined 34.5% during 1992-2001, from 1,022,746 cases in 1992 to 669,889 cases in 2001. (Sources: BLS [2003a,b].) |
How did the rates of sprain, strain, and tear cases change during 1992–2001?
 | Figure 2-139 Annual rates of sprain, strain, and tear cases involving days away from work in private industry, 1992-2001. The annual rate of sprain, strain, and tear cases involving days away from work declined 44.9% during 1992-2001, from 133.7 per 10,000 full-time workers in 1992 to 73.7 in 2001. (Sources: BLS [2003a,b].) |
Age
How did sprain, strain, and tear cases compare with all nonfatal injury and illness cases by age of worker in 2001?
 | Figure 2-140 Distribution of sprain, strain, and tear cases and all nonfatal injury and illness cases involving days away from work in private industry by age, 2001. Age data are available for 663,779 of the 669,889 BLS-estimated sprain, strain, and tear cases involving days away from work in 2001. Overall, three age groups (25-34, 35-44, and 45-54) accounted for 77.8% of sprain, strain, and tear cases compared with 75.2% of all nonfatal injury and illness cases. (Source: BLS [2003a].) |
Sex
How did sprain, strain, and tear cases compare with all nonfatal injury and illness cases by sex of worker in 2001?
 | Figure 2-141 Distribution of sprain, strain, and tear cases and all nonfatal injury and illness cases involving days away from work in private industry by sex, 2001. Male workers accounted for 64.1% of sprain, strain, and tear cases compared with 66.1% of all nonfatal injury and illness cases. Female workers accounted for 35.9% of sprain, strain, and tear cases compared with 33.9% of all nonfatal injury and illness cases (33.9%). (Source: BLS [2003a].) |
Race/Ethnicity
How did sprain, strain, and tear cases compare with all nonfatal injury and illness cases by race/ethnicity in 2001?
 | Figure 2-142 Distribution of sprain, strain, and tear cases and all nonfatal injury and illness cases involving days away from work in private industry by race/ethnicity, 2001. Race/ethnicity data are available for 481,012 of the 669,889 BLS-estimated sprain, strain, and tear cases involving days away from work in 2001. White, non-Hispanic workers accounted for more sprain, strain, and tear cases (69.9%) than all nonfatal injury and illness cases (68.2%). Black, non-Hispanic workers accounted for 12.4% of sprain, strain, and tear cases, and Hispanic workers accounted for 15.2%. (Source: BLS [2003a].) |
Severity
How did sprain, strain, and tear cases compare with all nonfatal injury and illness cases when measured by days away from work in 2001?
 | Figure 2-143 Distribution of sprain, strain, and tear cases and all nonfatal injury and illness cases involving days away from work in private industry by days away from work, 2001. Compared with all nonfatal injuries and illnesses in 2001, sprains, strains, and tears involved a higher percentage of cases with 3-5 days away from work (21.2% compared with 19.8%). But overall, the distributions of work losses were similar. This similarity was reflected by the median of 6 days away from work for both types of cases. (Source: BLS [2003a].) |
Occupation
How did sprain, strain, and tear cases compare with all nonfatal injury and illness cases by occupation in 2001?
 | Figure 2-144 Distribution of sprain, strain, and tear cases and all nonfatal injury and illness cases involving days away from work in private industry by occupation, 2001. Two occupational groups accounted for the majority (57.6%) of all sprain, strain, and tear cases: operators, fabricators, and laborers and service workers. These two groups accounted for 56.9% of all nonfatal injury and illness cases. (Source: BLS [2003a].) |
Industry
How did the rate of sprain, strain, and tear cases differ by private industry sector in 2001?
 | Figure 2-145 Incidence rate of sprain, strain, and tear cases by private industry sector, 2001. Private industry reported an incidence rate of 73.7 per 10,000 full-time workers for sprain, strain, and tear cases in 2001. Incidence rates exceeding the private-sector rate were reported for transportation and public utilities (147.0 per 10,000 full-time workers or 96,700 cases), construction (116.8 per 10,000 full-time workers or 71,225 cases), agriculture, forestry, and fishing (91.6 per 10,000 full-time workers or 13,758 cases), and wholesale trade (81.2 per 10,000 full-time workers or 52,261 cases). (Source: BLS [2003a].) |
How did the rates of sprain, strain, and tear cases change by private industry sector during 1992–2001?
 | Figure 2-146 Annual rates of sprain, strain, and tear cases involving days away from work by private industry sector, 1992-2001. The annual rate for sprain, strain, and tear cases declined 44.9% during 1992-2001. Rate reductions occurred for each major industry sector. Two sectors (transportation and public utilities and construction) had consistently higher rates than other industry sectors during this 10-year period. They experienced rate reductions of 41.5% and 30.4%, respectively. (Sources: BLS [2003a,b].) |
