The goals of this study were to investigate the medical care utilization and statistics of lengths of admissions such as the means, modes, medians, maximums, and minimums for patients with some musculoskeletal diseases among the National Health Insurance Corporation data. We provided basic recommendations for the proper lengths of admissions of occupationally injured workers with these diseases in Korea.

The study subjects were 20 to 59 year-old patients who were admitted from January 1, 2000 to June 30, 2001, over 4-day lengths of admission for the management of 20 different musculoskeletal disorders. We calculated means, standard deviations, modes, medians, maximums, minimums, and points of inflection for the lengths of admission of patients with these disorders.

The mean length of admission for carpal tunnel syndrome was 8.0±6.2 days, that of Raynaud's syndrome was 10.5±7.7 days, that of internal derangements of the knee was 12.9±11.8 days, that of unspecified internal derangements of the knee was 13.3±13.0 days, that of cervical disc disorder with radiculopathy was 16.8±19.0 days, that of other cervical disc displacements was 15.9±15.9 days, that of lumbar and other intervertebral disc disorders with radiculopathy was 14.9 ±13.8 days, that of unspecified intervertebral disc displacements was 14.9±13.9 days, that of unspecified synovitis and tenosynovitis was 12.5±9.9 days, that of ganglions was 7.5±7.3 days, that of fasciitis, NEC, was 19.8±24.7 days, that of adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder was 15.2±15.5 days, that of impingement syndrome of the shoulder was 11.4±12.0 days, that of medial epicondylitis was 11.2±7.3 days, that of lateral epicondylitis was 12.1±11.5 days, that of myalgias was 12.4±19.5 days, that of sprain and strain of the cervical spine was 12.4±10.2 days, that of sprain and strain of the lumbar spine was 12.3±10.9 days, that of a current tear of the meniscus was 13.3±13.2 days, and that of sprain and strain involving the cruciate ligaments of the knee was 18.2±17.0 days. Every point of inflection was the 80th percentile or the 90th percentile of the lengths of admission of the subjects.

This study has significant weaknesses, such as limitations of applicable ranges and errors in the National Health Insurance Corporation data, among others. However, the authors present various statistics and points of inflection of lengths of admissions for patients suffering from 20 work-related musculoskeletal disorders in the general population. Those cases in which the lengths of admissions of patients with the above-mentioned musculoskeletal disorders that are greater than the points of inflection, need to be evaluated carefully.