Introduction: Physiotherapy students have experienced a decrease in physical activity and upper limb muscle capacity in recent years. Students report musculoskeletal disorders, 45% of which are in the neck and upper limb. Regular physical activity and maintaining muscle mass reduce the risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders. By assessing upper limb performance, we can identify reduced muscle performance and, with appropriate intervention, reduce the risk of developing upper limb musculoskeletal problems during studying. Purpose: The purpose of the master's thesis was to assess and compare upper limb performance, incidence of musculoskeletal disorders, level of physical activity, and hours of student work in first- and third-year physiotherapy students. Methods: The study involved 31 first-year and 27 third-year undergraduate female physiotherapy students at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana. In October and November 2025, we obtained data on the subjects' anthropometric characteristics, incidence of musculoskeletal disorders, frequency of physical exercise and student work in physiotherapy. Upper limb performance was tested using the unilateral seated shot put test, modified push-up test and closed kinetic chain upper extremity stability test. Statistical differences were evaluated using the Student's t test or the Wilcoxon test for two independent samples. Results: Third-year students completed statistically significantly more hours of student work in physiotherapy and performed an average of 2,8 more repetitions in the closed kinetic chain upper limb stability test (p < 0,05) than first-year students. Musculoskeletal disorders in the neck are reported by 43,1 % and musculoskeletal disorders in the shoulders by 39,6 % of students. 81,1 % of students are sufficiently physically active, and only 45,2 % of first-year and 55,6 % of third-year students perform strengthening exercises sufficiently. Discussion and conclusion: There is some evidence of better upper limb performance in third-year students. It is encouraging that most students are sufficiently engaged in physical activity. Further research should include students from different universities and use a longitudinal approach so we could reliably talk about the impact of physiotherapy studies on physical fitness, upper limb performance and occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders in physiotherapy students.
|
