Carpal tunnel syndrome in grocery checkers. A cluster of a work-related illness.

Grocery checkers must use a high level of repetitive motion in the course of their work. We report a cluster of seven cases of the carpal tunnel syndrome felt to be due to the excessive use of repetitive motion. Each of the grocery checkers had no other identifiable risk factors, and hand pain, physical examination abnormalities and prolonged median nerve sensory latencies had developed that were consistent with the diagnosis of the carpal tunnel syndrome. This cluster of cases, the relation of the history of their disorder to time at work and a review of the literature suggest that grocery checkers, because of their excessively repetitive tasks, are at increased risk for the carpal tunnel syndrome.