Risk factors of chronic neck pain: A prospective study among middle‐aged employees

Abstract

Objective: To study the associations of sociodemographic factors, working conditions, lifestyle and previous pain in the spine with new onset chronic neck pain (NP). Methods: The participants were municipal employees free of chronic NP at baseline, aged 40, 45, 50, 55 or 60 years (n = 5277, 80% women). Self-reported data on occupational class, working conditions, body mass index, smoking, exercise, mental well-being, sleep problems, NP and low back pain (LBP) were obtained from baseline questionnaire surveys in 2000-2002. The question on chronic NP was repeated in a follow-up in 2007. Logistic regression analysis was used. Results: The incidence of chronic NP was 15% in women and 9% in men. In multivariable analysis among women, acute NP [odds ratio (OR) 3.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.9-5.1], chronic LBP (1.6, 1.2-2.2), reporting current workplace bullying (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1-2.4), earlier bullying at the present workplace (1.6, 1.2-2.0), and earlier bullying in another workplace (1.8, 1.3-2.4), frequent sleep problems (1.5, 1.2-2.0), overweight (1.2, 1.0-1.5), and obesity (1.4, 1.1-1.8) predicted chronic NP at follow-up. Men with acute NP (2.3, 1.4-3.8), chronic LBP (2.3, 1.2-4.3), manual occupational class (1.8, 1.1-3.1) and high work-related emotional exhaustion (1.9, 1.1-3.3) at baseline had an increased risk of new onset chronic NP. Conclusions: We found potentially modifiable predictors of chronic NP among employees: workplace bullying, sleep problems, and high body mass index in women, and work-related emotional exhaustion in men. In both genders, previous acute NP and chronic LBP were predictive of chronic NP.

Time course of neck-shoulder pain among workers: A longitudinal latent class growth analysis

“…These two trajectories contained a considerable proportion (33%) of the study population, which is almost twice as high compared to previous studies on chronic NSP (12,13,17). Still, the occurrence of severe persistent NSP (9%) is in agreement with some studies using latent class growth modeling of NSP (17) and disabilities due to arm, neck, and shoulder complaints (23).…”

Multidimensional features of pain in patients with chronic neck pain

“…In our study, the main dimension observed was sensory, when compared with the affective dimension seen by Marques et al (26). Nevertheless, emotional factors such as work-related stress are risk factors for chronic neck pain, and the interference of pain in these aspects can be inferred by the words chosen in the affective category (30).…”

Predictors for chronic neck and low back pain in office workers: a 1‐year prospective cohort study

“…Kääriä et al (2012) reported in their prospective cohort study among middle-aged (municipal) employees in Finland that the incidence of chronic neck pain was 15% in women and 9% in men 21) . For low back pain, Costa et al (2009) reported that 41.7% of patients with acute low back pain presenting to primary care in Australia developed chronicity 33) .…”

“…Differences in incidence rates may be caused by methodological differences across studies, particularly in the definition of a symptomatic case and chronicity. Kääriä et al (2012) simply defined symptomatic cases as those having pain in the neck and chronic cases as those having pain that persisted for more than 3 months 21) . Costa et al (2009) defined symptomatic cases as those with pain lasting more than 24 hours but less than 2 weeks that was preceded by at least one pain-free month 33) .…”