ArticleBMJ open2019
Are trajectories of neck-shoulder pain associated with sick leave and work ability in workers? A 1-year prospective study.
Article in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers.
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Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 44 citations in OpenAlex.
- Corrective exercises administered online vs at the workplace for pain and function in the office workers with upper crossed syndrome: randomized controlled trial.International archives of occupational and environmental health · 2022Trial
- Effectiveness of combined aerobic exercise and neck-specific exercise compared to neck-specific exercise alone on work ability in neck pain patients: a secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial.International archives of occupational and environmental health · 2021Trial
- Article
- Decline in Work Ability over Time and Its Association with Physical Performance Among Senior Workers: A Prospective Cohort Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Rotator Cuff-Related Shoulder Pain: A Survey of Current Physiotherapy Practice in Cyprus.Clinics and practice · 2026Article
- Co-development of an evidence-informed, theoretically driven exercise programme for people with chronic non-specific neck pain (the EPIC-Neck programme - "Exercise Prescription Improved through Co-design").BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2025Article
- Co-designed neck exercise (EPIC-Neck) vs usual exercise care for people with chronic non-specific neck pain: protocol for a randomised feasibility study with process evaluation.Pilot and feasibility studies · 2025Article
- Shoulder Musculoskeletal Disorder Rehabilitation Using a Robotic Device Based on Electromyography (EMG) Biofeedback: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Article
- Association between musculoskeletal pain and exposures to awkward postures during work: a compositional analysis approach.Annals of work exposures and health · 2024Article
- Effects of consecutive workdays and days off on low back pain, fatigue and stress: prospective cohort study among warehouse and construction workers.Occupational and environmental medicine · 2023Article
- Associations between lean maturity in primary care and musculoskeletal complaints among staff: a longitudinal study.BMJ open · 2023Article
- The impact of musculoskeletal pain and strenuous work on self-reported physical work ability: a cohort study of Swedish men and women.International archives of occupational and environmental health · 2022Article
- Article
- Designing industrial work to be 'just right' to promote health - a study protocol for a goldilocks work intervention.BMC public health · 2022Article
- Article
- Predictive Factors of Short-Term Related Musculoskeletal Pain in the Automotive Industry.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Neck pain is the leading cause of disability burden in China: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017.Annals of translational medicine · 2021Article
- Work limitations due to neck-shoulder pain and physical work demands in older workers: cross-sectional study.International archives of occupational and environmental health · 2021Article
- Work-Time Compositions of Physical Behaviors and Trajectories of Sick Leave Due to Musculoskeletal Pain.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThe study aimed to determine the extent to which latent trajectories of neck-shoulder pain (NSP) are associated with self-reported sick leave and work ability based on frequent repeated measures over 1 year in an occupational population.
methodsThis longitudinal study included 748 Danish workers (blue-collar, n=620; white collar, n=128). A questionnaire was administered to collect data on personal and occupational factors at baseline. Text messages were used for repeated measurements of NSP intensity (scale 0-10) over 1 year (14 waves in total). Simultaneously, self-reported sick leave (days/month) due to pain was assessed at 4-week intervals, while work ability (scale 0-10) was assessed using a single item (work ability index) at 12-week intervals over the year. Trajectories of NSP, distinguished by latent class growth analysis, were used as predictors of sick leave and work ability in generalised estimation equations with multiple adjustments.
resultsSick leave increased and work ability decreased across all NSP trajectory classes (low, moderate, strong fluctuating and severe persistent pain intensity). In the adjusted model, the estimated number of days on sick leave was 1.5 days/month for severe persistent NSP compared with 0.1 days/month for low NSP (relative risk=13.8, 95% CI 6.7 to 28.5). Similarly, work ability decreased markedly for severe persistent NSP (OR=12.9, 95% CI 8.5 to 19.7; median 7.1) compared with low NSP (median 9.5).
conclusionSevere persistent NSP was associated with sick leave and poor work ability over 1 year among workers. Preventive strategies aiming at reducing severe persistent NSP among working populations are needed.
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