Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32171283›Full record

ArticleBMC musculoskeletal disorders2020

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

Sebastian Venge Skovlund, Rúni Bláfoss, Emil Sundstrup, Lars L Andersen

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
32citing papers in PubMed
6.4field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

32 citing papers in PubMed, 60 citations in OpenAlex.

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  5. Letter to the Editor concerning "Evaluation of functional outcomes and return to work in thoracolumbar junction fractures (T11-L2) following posterior spinal fusion: A prospective observational study" by G. Shokouhi et al. (Eur Spine J [2025]; doi: 10.1007/s00586-025-09390-y).European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025
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  19. Barriers and Facilitators of Re-Employment among Senior Workers: Prospective Cohort Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Sebastian Venge SkovlundMusculoskeletal Disorders and Physical Workload, National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Lersø Parkallé 105, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark. svs@nfa.dk.
Rúni BláfossMusculoskeletal Disorders and Physical Workload, National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Lersø Parkallé 105, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Emil SundstrupMusculoskeletal Disorders and Physical Workload, National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Lersø Parkallé 105, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Lars L AndersenMusculoskeletal Disorders and Physical Workload, National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Lersø Parkallé 105, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
National Research Centre for the Working Environment · DKUniversity of Southern Denmark · DK

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMusculoskeletal 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.

methodsWorkers 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.

resultsIn 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.

conclusionsWork 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.

Indexed as

Work Capacity EvaluationAdultCohort StudiesCross-Sectional StudiesDenmarkFemaleHumansJob DescriptionLow Back PainMaleMiddle AgedMusculoskeletal PainOccupational DiseasesOccupationsSelf ReportWorkloadErgonomicsMusculoskeletal diseaseOccupational medicinePhysical workSustainable employmentWork abilityWorkplace

Identifiers

PMID32171283
PMCPMC7071559
OpenAlexW3011969632

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.