9.0 percent of U.S. adults had repetitive strain injuries in 2021

In 2021, 9.0 percent of U.S. adults had repetitive strain injuries in the past three months, according to a study published online July 25 in the National Health Statistics Reports, a publication from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Matthew F. Garnett, M.P.H., from the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Maryland, and colleagues describe the percentage of adults aged 18 years and older who reported injuries from repetitive strain in the past three months using data from the 2021 National Health Interview Survey, as well as the impact of these injuries.

The researchers found that 9.0 percent of adults aged 18 years and older in the United States had repetitive strain injuries in the past three months in 2021. Higher percentages tended to be seen among adults aged 35 to 49 and 50 to 64 years (10.3 and 11.6 percent, respectively), non-Hispanic White adults (9.5 percent), and adults with family incomes at 400 percent or more of the federal poverty level (9.8 percent).

Overall, 44.2 percent of those with repetitive strain injuries limited their activities for at least 24 hours, with the highest percentages seen among non-Hispanic White adults, women, and adults with family incomes less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level (47.0, 47.1, and 51.0 percent, respectively). More than half (51.4 percent) of those who limited their activity for at least 24 hours due to a repetitive strain injury consulted a doctor or medical professional, with the highest percentages seen for women and non-Hispanic Black adults (56.3 and 66.2 percent, respectively).

"Although the percentages of men and women reporting repetitive strain injuries were similar, women were more likely to experience injuries that limited their activities and more likely to consult a medical professional as a result," the authors write.

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