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 tomultiplephysical work demands for more than a quarter of the workday was also associated with lower work ability.

Objective This study aimed to investigate the importance of combined ergonomic exposures at work for the development of musculoskeletal pain. Methods Through 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. Results Clusters 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. Conclusion Combined 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.

High physical work demands increase the risk of musculoskeletal disorders and sickness absence. Supermarket work involves a high amount of manual material handling. Identifying specific ergonomic risk factors is an important part of occupational health and safety efforts in the supermarket sector. In this cross-sectional field study among 64 supermarket workers, we used electromyography during the workday to determine the influence of lifting height and load mass on muscular workload of the low-back and neck/shoulder muscles during un-restricted manual material handling (grocery stocking). We found a significant effect of load mass, i.e., higher loads associated with higher muscular workload in the low-back and neck/shoulder muscles. We demonstrated a significant interaction between start and end position, i.e., lifts performed from ‘Low’ start positions to ‘High’ end positions demonstrated the highest low-back muscular workload, whereas ‘High’ positions were associated with increased neck/shoulder workload. In conclusion, lifting higher loads and lifting goods from low to high positions (low-back) and at high positions (neck/shoulder) are associated with higher muscular workload. These results can be used to guide highly warranted preventive initiatives to reduce the physical workload during supermarket work.

Determining predictors of sickness absence could allow for better screening, guidance, and development of preventive efforts aimed at those in increased risk. This study aimed to determine the prospective association between musculoskeletal pain intensity and risk of incident register-based long-term sickness absence in the general working population, as well as to determine the population attributable fraction. Drawing on data from a nation-wide questionnaire survey, this prospective cohort study followed a representative sample of the Danish general working population without recent long-term sickness absence (≥6 consecutive weeks) (n = 69,273) for long-term sickness absence up to two years (mean follow-up: 93 weeks) in a national register. The predictor was musculoskeletal pain intensity in the neck/shoulder and low-back during the preceding three months rated on an 11-point numerical rating scale from 0 to 10. The weighted incidence of long-term sickness-absence was 8.9% during two-year follow-up (n = 6165). We observed a clear dose-response association between musculoskeletal pain intensity of the neck/shoulder or low-back and the risk of incident long-term sickness absence, with a lower threshold of increased risk of 4 and 3 (scale 0-10) for neck/shoulder (HR (95% CI): 1.25 (1.09-1.42)) and low-back pain (HR (95% CI): 1.13 (1.00-1.29)), respectively. Prevention of pain intensities at or above 4 out of 10 could potentially prevent 17% (population attributable fraction, PAF (95% CI): 16.8 (13.6-20.1)) of the total long-term sickness absence in the general working population. Large-scale interventions to prevent and manage musculoskeletal pain need to be documented and implemented.

Background: Leg pain, especially of the knees and hips, is common among senior workers and may limit the ability to perform physically demanding work. In light of the aging workforce, this study determined the joint association of physical work demands and leg pain intensity for work-limiting pain in senior workers.Methods: Currently employed senior workers (≥50 years) participated in the SeniorWorkingLife study in 2018 (n = 12,879). Associations between the combination of physical work demands and leg pain intensity (interaction) with work-limiting pain (outcome) were modeled using binary logistic regression analyses while controlling for potential covariates.Results: We found a significant interaction (P < 0.001) between physical work demands and leg pain intensity for work-limiting pain. The combination of higher physical work demands and higher leg pain intensity had the worst outcome in terms of the odds of experiencing work-limiting pain. For example, 70% of those with the combination of high physical work demands and leg pain intensity ≥7 (scale 0–10) experienced that the pain limited them to at least some degree in their work.Conclusions: The combination of high physical work demands and high leg pain intensity are associated with limited ability to perform work among senior workers. These findings highlight the importance of prioritizing the physical work environment in physically demanding occupations, particularly among senior workers, for prolonging working life. Thus, adjusting the work demands, e.g. through use of assistive devices, and lowering the pain, e.g. through physical rehabilitation, may be necessary to sustain work ability to a high age in this group of workers.Trial registration: This was registered as a cohort study in ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier:NCT03634410) on the 18th of August 2018 (Retrospectively registered).