Shoulder pain in industry: an epidemiological study on welders.

The occurrence of supraspinatus tendinitis in a group of welders at a shipyard was investigated, and compared with the occurrence of this condition in a group of office clerks. The study showed a prevalence ratio of 18 per cent in the welders, significantly higher than in the clerks. The average age (39 year) in the group with pain did not differ significantly from the average age in the entire group of welders. It is concluded that supraspinatus tendinitis is not exclusively an aging phenomenon, but that welding as an occupation plays an etiological role.