Association between physical work demands and work ability in workers with musculoskeletal pain: cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Musculoskeletal pain is common in the working population and may affect the work ability, especially among those with high physical work demands. This study investigated the association between physical work demands and work ability in workers with musculoskeletal pain. Methods: Workers with physically demanding jobs (n = 5377) participated in the Danish Work Environment Cohort Study in 2010. Associations between physical work ability and various physical work demands were modeled using cumulative logistic regression analyses while controlling for possible confounders. Results: In the fully adjusted model, bending and twisting/turning of the back more than a quarter of the workday (reference: less than a quarter of the workday) was associated with higher odds of lower work ability in workers with low-back pain (OR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.09-1.74) and neck-shoulder pain (OR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.01-1.64). When adding up the different types of demands, being exposed to two or more physical work demands for more than a quarter of the workday was consistently associated with lower work ability. Conclusions: Work that involves high demands of the lower back seems especially problematic in relation to work ability among physical workers with musculoskeletal pain. Regardless of the specific type of physical work demand, being exposed to multiple physical work demands for more than a quarter of the workday was also associated with lower work ability.

Workers’ Healthcare Assistance Model (WHAM): Development, Validation, and Assessment of Sustainable Return on Investment (S-ROI)

“…Ergonomic risks in the workplace are, in this context, assumed to be the most correlated with risk in the field of nursing. This has been documented in several studies, namely by Skovlund et al [69] and Welch et al [70]. Since workers spend long hours of their day at the workplace, an additional concern regarding workplace ergonomics must be considered, as correct adaptation will result not only in promoting the well-being of workers, but also in reducing medical costs for employers, as reported by Munir et al [45], Gao et al [47], and Welch et al [70].…”

Association between muscle strength, upper extremity fatigue resistance, work ability and upper extremity dysfunction in a sample of workers at a tertiary hospital

“…These studies agree with our data sample, of which 55.5% of the participants reported long-term absenteeism due to musculoskeletal complaints. Musculoskeletal disorders in healthcare professionals and other workers are highly prevalent and associated with workload and ergonomics factors [ 13 , 50 ].…”

The Psychosocial Work Environment and Perceived Stress among Seniors with Physically Demanding Jobs: The SeniorWorkingLife Study

“…In fact, when comparing occupations based on the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO), we have recently shown that workers with physically demanding jobs not only exhibit increased odds of musculoskeletal pain compared with more sedentary jobs, they are also likely to experience at least the same degree of psychosocial stress [ 36 ]. Therefore, while the inherent components of demanding physical work—likely to foster negative health and productivity outcomes [ 33 , 37 , 38 ]—are not to be neglected, a growing body of evidence emphasizes the importance of including several aspects of the psychosocial work environment when informing policies [ 3 , 6 , 39 ]. In light of this, it is becoming increasingly clear that a broad array of very different organizational-, lifestyle-, and health-related factors relate to and indeed influence work ability [ 37 , 39 , 40 , 41 ].…”

“…Therefore, while the inherent components of demanding physical work—likely to foster negative health and productivity outcomes [ 33 , 37 , 38 ]—are not to be neglected, a growing body of evidence emphasizes the importance of including several aspects of the psychosocial work environment when informing policies [ 3 , 6 , 39 ]. In light of this, it is becoming increasingly clear that a broad array of very different organizational-, lifestyle-, and health-related factors relate to and indeed influence work ability [ 37 , 39 , 40 , 41 ]. Interestingly, while musculoskeletal pain—alone and in combination with high physical job demands—seems to be a strong predictor of poor work ability among the general working population [ 42 ] and senior workers alike [ 43 , 44 ], a range of psychosocial factors have been shown to modify these associations [ 39 , 45 ].…”