Gail Lapierre, of the Vermont AgrAbility Project. Was a guest speaker on the recent Arthritis Community of Interest Call with her fantastic presentation focusing on women and ergonomic fits to tools and tasks. In her "One Size Might Not Fit All" presentation, Gail discussed how Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disorder in agriculture, due to aging and wear-and-tear on a joint. The numbers of women in agriculture is unknown and under-represented in U.S. agricultural statistics, as they only count women who are principal operators. The tools made for the general public are not made with women's bodies in mind. It is possible that farm women are using these tools (that do not fit them ergonomically) and are putting themselves at increased risk for osteoarthritis at a younger age.
Submitted by Janis Moore