Appendix 1 Questionnaire

yes no
1. Do you use hand trowel
in gardening?
2. Do you feel comfortable
using hand trowel?
3. Do you feel numbness in
your hand and finger
when using hand trowel?
4. Do you feel pain in your
upper arm?
5. Do you feel pain in your
lower Arm or forearm?
6. Do you feel pain in your
wrist??
7. Do you feel pain in your
elbow?
8. Do you feel back pain
while using hand trowel?

9. Are you willing to buy a

new ergonomically
design hand trowel?
2.3 DATA GATHERING TOOLS AND PROCEDURE

2.3a. Result on the questionnaire

The researcher created a questionnaire as the data collection instrument for this study. Various
people who are fond of gardening were interviewed. The aimed of these questionnaire (Appendix 1)is to
identify which part of the hand trowel should be develop and to lessen or minimized the injuries caused
by the old trowel to the users.

The following charts show the result of the conducted survey on people who are fond of
gardening. A number of 33 respondents answered the questionnaire form given by the researcher. The
results showed that most of the respondents use hand trowel in gardening, and most of them experiences
pain in different part of their upper limb while some respondents can tolerate the pain while using hand
trowel. It was observed that the respondent experienced pain in their wrist as well as in their upper arm,
lower are, and elbow.

Fig. 2 This chart shows how many respondent feel pain in their upper limb

no
yes
35

30

25

20

15

10

0
numbness in upper arm lower arm/ wrist elbow back pain
finger forearm

2.3b. Result of a total number of respondent who can feel pain in their hand
Figure 3:

number of respondent
35

30

25

20

15

10

0
numbness of upper arm lower arm wrist elbow back pain
the finger

Figure 3 shows the summary of the result in survey gathered from 33 respondents. The figure
includes the part of the body that got the highest number of response in the conducted survey. It shows
that 65.6% (22 respondent) of the respondent experienced wrist pain, 62.5% (21 respondent) experienced
lower back pain and also 63.5% (20 respondent) experienced numbness in arm, and 64.5% ( 21
respondents) experienced upper arm, lower arm and joint pain. According to the respondent’s answer in
the interview, they experienced pain after or during working or after using the hand trowel with so much
grip strength and when their hand is extended for a long period of time. The respondent also stated that
half or almost of their working hour is spend while in a sitting position.

Stressful hand and wrist can cause musculoskeletal disorder (MSDs) such as muscle strain;
tendonitis, which is inflammation of elbow and wrist tendons; or carpal tunnel syndrome, which is
compression of a wrist nerve, resulting in finger numbness and loss of hand strength.

Most of us are familiar with the backaches and sore knees that accompany digging, pulling and
edging a garden. Those conditions typically resolve within a few hours or a day or a two with rest, ice,
possibly over the counter anti-inflammatory medication. However, the hand, wrist and elbow injuries that
gardeners can suffer tend to develop over time and don’t usually cause pain at the outlets. Typically, the
pain of sprains, tendinitis and even arthritis is mild at first and often ignored. However, these ailments can
develop into serious conditions if left untreated.

Trigger thumbs of finger the repetitive motion of opening and closing shears or hand trowels can
lead to a painful triggering or locking of the fingers or thumb. The condition is caused when the eyelet
that hold the flexor tendons in place finger or thumb interfaces with the smooth gliding of the tendons
through it. Gamekeeper’s thumb is a chronic ulnar collateral ligament injuries on the inside side of the
thumb. This occurs from repeated activities that stress the area. Wrist Tendinitis persistent pan in the wrist
could develop from the repeated motion of the wrist. The endons that attach at the base of the thumb
become irritated or constricted causing painful and swelling along the wrist. Heavy raking can caused
pain in the forearm about three inches above the wrist, a condition called Intersection syndrome. It result
from the overuse of the wrist extensor tendons, which rub against one another wrist repeatedly bend
backward. The friction caused by the rubbing tendons leads to irritation, inflammation and painful
swelling. “The Hidden Hazard Of Gardening” this are few common gardening related problem using the
hand tools improperly.