ArticleScandinavian journal of work, environment & health2021
Combined ergonomic exposures and development of musculoskeletal pain in the general working population: A prospective cohort study.
Article in Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 39 citations in OpenAlex.
- Systematic Review of Workplace Interventions to Support Young Workers' Safety, Work Environment and Health.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2025Pooled it
- Work Ability After Anterior Cervical Decompression and Fusion Followed by a Structured Postoperative Rehabilitation: Secondary Outcomes of a Prospective Randomized Controlled Multi-Centre Trial with a 2-year Follow-up.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2022Trial
- Exercise Participation and Clinical Characteristics of Desk-Based Workers with Chronic Non-Specific Neck Pain Exposed to Increased Ergonomic Risk: A Cross-Sectional Study.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Article
- First evidence on ergonomic exposures and musculoskeletal pain among the Faroese workforce.International archives of occupational and environmental health · 2026Article
- Prevalence and multidimensional factors associated with work-related musculoskeletal disorders in Chinese gas station workers.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Musculoskeletal Pain Among University Faculty: A Cross-Sectional Study of Prevalence, Determinants, and Associations with Work Performance and Occupational Stress.Journal of pain research · 2026Article
- Prevalence and Ergonomic Risk Factors for Musculoskeletal Pain Among Clinical Nurses in Türkiye: A Cross-Sectional Study.Pain research & management · 2026Article
- Association of the 24-hour movement behaviours composition with workers' chronic musculoskeletal pain.PloS one · 2026Article
- Health Effects of Ergonomics and Personal Protective Equipment on Chemotherapy Professionals.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2025Review
- Article
- Health Outcomes Related to Multiple Exposures in Occupational Settings: A Review.Safety and health at work · 2024Review
- Association between musculoskeletal pain and exposures to awkward postures during work: a compositional analysis approach.Annals of work exposures and health · 2024Article
- Influence of brick laying height on biomechanical load in masons: Cross-sectional field study with technical measurements.Work (Reading, Mass.) · 2024Article
- Association of objectively measured lifting load with low-back pain, stress, and fatigue: A prospective cohort study.Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health · 2024Article
- Analgesics and ASH medications in workers increase the risk of disability pension and mortality: prospective cohort.European journal of public health · 2023Article
- Duration and intensity of occupational lifting and risk of long-term sickness absence: Prospective cohort study with register follow-up among 45 000 workers.Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health · 2023Article
- Psychosocial risk factors for low back pain in US workers: Data from the 2002-2018 quality of work life survey.American journal of industrial medicine · 2023Article
- Wearable Sensors and Artificial Intelligence for Physical Ergonomics: A Systematic Review of Literature.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Combined psychosocial work factors and risk of long-term sickness absence in the general working population: Prospective cohort with register follow-up among 69 371 workers.Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health · 2022Article
- Designing industrial work to be 'just right' to promote health - a study protocol for a goldilocks work intervention.BMC public health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThis study aimed to investigate the importance of combined ergonomic exposures at work for the development of musculoskeletal pain.
methodsThrough four rounds (2012-2018) of the Work Environment and Health in Denmark Study, 18 905 employees of the general working population replied to a baseline and 2-year follow-up questionnaire. First, a k-means cluster analysis of seven ergonomic factors (back bending, arm above shoulders, lifting etc., from 'never' to 'almost all the time') identified nine naturally occurring clusters. Second, using a weighted survey regression model controlling for age, gender, survey year, education, lifestyle, influence at work, and pain intensity at baseline, we estimated development of pain intensity (0-10) in the neck-shoulder and low-back in these clusters. The largest cluster served as reference to the other clusters and was characterized by low ergonomic exposures.
resultsClusters characterized by multiple combined ergonomic exposures for a relatively high percentage of the working time showed the largest increase in neck-shoulder as well as low-back pain intensity from baseline to follow-up. However, clusters characterized by high exposure to a few specific ergonomic factors also increased pain significantly, eg, standing/walking combined with lifting/carrying or twisted/bent back for the majority of the working time increased low-back pain, whereas repetitive arm movements for the majority of the working time with or without standing/walking increased neck-shoulder pain.
conclusionCombined occupational ergonomic exposures play an important role in the development of musculoskeletal pain. Workplace preventive approaches should consider this in risk assessments and organization of the work.
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Registered trials
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.