Please cite this article as: Heidari, J., Mierswa, T., Kleinert, J., Ott, I., Levenig, C., Hasenbring, M., Kellmann, M., Parameters of low back pain chronicity among athletes: Associations with physical and mental stress,

The findings indicate an association between detrimental recovery-stress patterns and LBP. Examining the role of recovery has innovative practical relevance for LBP prevention and rehabilitation through the implementation of approaches to enhance recovery in relevant programmes.

No abstract

Psychologically and physically straining work conditions increase the risk of low back pain (LBP) development. According to recent recovery theories, leisure time recovery can counteract the negative influences of work stress on health. Similarly, a recent empirical work has indicated a moderating role of recovery on the link between stress and health issues. In this paper, a theoretical model is deduced to integrate the moderating effects of recovery on work stress and LBP development. Based on theoretical and empirical results, 2 separate recovery paths are distinguished: on the one hand, recovery can prevent the experience of stress because a well-recovered person can cope more easily with work demands; while on the other hand, recovery refills the depleted resources after confrontation with work strain and reduces stress experiences. Given that work strains is a main risk factor for LBP development, recovery in leisure time seems to be a highly relevant aspect, which has not been investigated to date in the field of LBP.

Objectives: Recovery processes in leisure time influence the effect of psychosocial work factors on health issues. However, this function of recovery has been neglected in research regarding the influence of work-related risk factors on low back pain (LBP) development. The aim of this prospective study was to examine the function of psychological detachmenta relevant recovery experience -concerning the influence of psychosocial work factors on LBP development. A moderating function of detachment for the interplay of work factors and LBP was assumed. Material and Methods: Sixty pain-free administrative employees of German universities completed an online survey 3 times during a 6-month period. Generalized estimating equations were used to estimate risk-factors of LBP. Results: Analyses revealed an increased chance of LBP development for smokers and a decreasing chance when work resources were high. Detachment had no direct influence on LBP development, although it moderated the influence of work stressors and work resources on LBP. On the one hand, high detachment values seem to protect against an increased chance of LBP development when employees were confronted with high work stressors, while on the other hand high detachment values enhance the protective effect of high work resources. Conclusions: The results indicated a moderating role of detachment concerning the influence of psychosocial work factors on LBP development. Therefore, it is necessary to include recovery processes in future research regarding LBP development and consequently in LBP prevention concepts. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2017;30(2):313-327