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Media Releases
MARRTC Researchers Attend Workshop on Farmworkers' Health
Columbia, Mo. (Nov. 10, 2005) - Arthritis can be a painful affliction for anyone, but for farmers, whose livelihood depends on their physical condition, arthritis could mean the difference between a steady income and destitution. Farm work, as well as any other type of physically demanding activity, can both increase the risk of developing arthritis and make existing arthritis worse.
For many farmworkers pain medication traditionally has been the first line of defense to cope with their symptoms. However, in the post-Vioxx era, questions remain about the safety of both prescription and over-the-counter pain relievers. So, what is a farmworker to do when in pain?
This will be the topic of discussion by researchers from the Missouri Arthritis Rehabilitation Research and Training (MARRTC) at the University of Missouri-Columbia at the annual Midwest Stream Farmworker Health Forum, held Nov. 10 through 12 in Texas.
MARRTC researchers Willard Downs, Ph.D., and Karen Funkenbusch will discuss the safety of commonly prescribed pain medications of the COX-2 family, which includes the now-withdrawn Vioxx and Bextra, as well as older-generation arthritis drugs, called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and Aleve. In addition, Funkenbusch and Downs will discuss how simple exercises can help alleviate arthritis pain and improve mobility.
The researchers will also talk about ways to modify the work environment as well as common work tools and devices to make farming safer and less painful.
It is estimated that three million migrant and seasonal farmworkers are employed in the United States. Of them, almost one million have one of 100-plus forms of the arthritis. Physical activities performed by farmworkers can be very demanding on the musculoskeletal system. Medical care and self-management can help, but it is often difficult for farm-workers to obtain care because of the transient nature of their work and because they have poor access to medical facilities compared to their urban counterparts.
Last year, MARRTC released an educational DVD, titled "Farming with Arthritis," to help physicians and other health-care providers better understand the challenges specific to farming population.
The workshop is organized by the National Center for Farmworker Health, a private not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the health of farmworker families by providing information services and products to a network of more than 500 migrant health center service sites in the United States.
To arrange an interview with a MARRTC expert, contact Becky Woelfel, Senior Information Specialist, at (573) 882-2914 or by email at woelfelr@missouri.edu
The Missouri Arthritis Research Rehabilitation and Training Center (MARRTC) was established in 1971 at the University of Missouri-Columbia Arthritis Center. MARRTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (H133B031120) and is the only federally funded arthritis rehabilitation research and training center in the country.
As part of the MU Health Communication Research Center (HCRC), MARRTC's mission is to become a national leader in the areas of disability management and communication, improve the quality of life and promote independent living among people who have arthritis and arthritic conditions. MARRTC's core message is "Disability is everyone's issue."
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