Background and purpose: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the most common occupational health problems that have high costs and lead to productivity loss in nurses. On the other hand, work-related stress is another important factor that could result in reduced productivity in organizations and may lead to physical and mental problems in personnel. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of MSDs among nurses and its relationship with occupation-related stress.

Materials and methods: This descriptive-analytical study was performed in 940 nurses in Sari hospitals. Census sampling was used to select the subjects. Data was collected using Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) and the HSE Indicator Tool. Data was then analyzed by ANOVA, t-test and Pearson's correlation in SPSS V.18.

Results: The results showed low back disorders were the more prevalent (60.9%) disorders in nurses. Significant association was found between work-related stress and musculoskeletal disorders (P<0.05). MSDs were significantly associated with age, gender, body mass index, and educational level. Also, there was a significant relationship between work experience, marital status and working system (different shifts or stable hours) with occupation-related stress (P<0.05).

Conclusion: In this study, nurses had a relatively high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders. Most of them had moderate levels of work-related stress. So, any intervention for preventing MSDs and job stress should focus on reducing physical and psychological pressures and lead to involvement of nurses in decision-making processes.