Biomechanical and psychosocial risk factors for low back pain at work (original) (raw)
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Model for the work-relatedness of low-back pain
Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 2003
Lötters F, Burdorf A, Kuiper J, Miedema H. Model for the work-relatedness of low-back pain. Scand J Work Environ Health 2003;29(6):431-440.
Occupational and environmental medicine, 2004
Relevant studies of low back pain (LBP) published between 1990 and 2002 were systematically retrieved via electronic databases and checking of reference lists. Forty papers fulfilled the inclusion criteria; 10 were of high quality. A wide variety of instruments had been used for collection of data on work related psychosocial factors, many of which had not undergone any form of validation. Moderate evidence was found for no association between LBP and perception of work, organisational aspects of work, and social support at work. There was insufficient evidence for a positive association between stress at work and LBP. No conclusions could be drawn regarding perception of work and consequences of LBP. There was strong evidence for no association between organisational aspects of work and moderate evidence for no association between social support at work and stress at work and consequences of LBP.
Risk factors for back pain incidence in industry: a prospective study
Pain, 1998
The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between physical and psychological risk factors on the one hand, and the occurrence of new episodes of back pain on the other hand. A prospective study was conducted with 12 months follow-up by means of selfadministered questionnaires. The study took place in the Cargo Department of a major Dutch airline company. The subjects for this study were 270 workers involved in heavy physical work. Only workers without back pain at baseline were included. Self-reported back pain and sick leave due to back pain during the follow-up period were measured. Of the 238 workers included in the analysis, 73 (31%) developed a new episode of back pain during the follow-up period, and 27 (11%) subjects reported sick leave due to back pain. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the history of back pain was the best predictor for the occurrence of a new episode of back pain during follow-up (OR 9.8; 95% CI 2.8-34.4 for subjects who had back pain more than twice in the past year). Low job satisfaction was also associated with an increased risk for the occurrence of back pain during follow-up (OR 1.2; 95% CI 1.01-1.4). Riding a forklift truck appeared to be a protective factor for the occurrence of back pain (OR 0.7; 95% CI 0.5-0.99). In this study the best predictors for the occurrence of back pain were the history of back complaints and low job satisfaction. Although it needs to be confirmed by future intervention studies, the results indicate that increasing job satisfaction may be a successful (co-)intervention for the prevention of back pain at the workplace. © 1998 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.
Prevalence, Recognition of Work-Relatedness, and Effect on Work of Low Back Pain Among U.S. Workers
Annals of Internal Medicine, 2019
This is the prepublication, author-produced version of a manuscript accepted for publication in Annals of Internal Medicine. This version does not include post-acceptance editing and formatting. The American College of Physicians, the publisher of Annals of Internal Medicine, is not responsible for the content or presentation of the author-produced accepted version of the manuscript or any version that a third party derives from it. Readers who wish to access the definitive published version of this manuscript and any ancillary material related to this manuscript (e.g., correspondence, corrections, editorials, linked articles) should go to Annals.org or to the print issue in which the article appears. Those who cite this manuscript should cite the published version, as it is the official version of record.
Job strain, work characteristics and back pain: A study in a University hospital
European Journal of Pain, 2011
The demand-control-support ''job strain'' model is frequently used in occupational health 29 research. We sought to explore the relationship between job strain and back pain. 30 Method: Thousand two hundred and ninety-eight collaborators of a Swiss teaching hospital responded to 31 a cross-sectional questionnaire survey that measured job strain, the occurrence of back pain as well as the 32 characteristics and consequences of this pain. 33 Results: Job strain computed with both psychological and physical demands was strongly and signifi-34 cantly associated with various measures of back pain. These associations displayed a dose-response pat-35 tern, and remained strong even after adjustment for job characteristics and professional categories. In 36 contrast, separate dimensions of job strain (except physical demands) and job strain computed with only 37 psychological demands did not remain significantly associated with back pain after adjustment for other 38 variables. 39 Conclusion: Our results support the findings linking back pain to job strain. Moreover, the relationship 40 between back pain and job strain is much stronger if job strain includes both psychological and physical 41 demands. Results of this study suggest that workplace interventions that aim to reduce job strain may 42 help prevent back pain and may alleviate the personal, social, and economic burden attributable to back 43 pain.
2019
Chronic low back pain is a common and preventable complain among workers. Large amount of financial and benefit cost has been spent by the developed countries to prevent, treat and rehabilitate a large number of workers that are exposed to hazards attributing to low back pain. Efforts on primary prevention of low back pain has been challenging due to difficulties in affirming work- relatedness of chronic back pain among workers. As such, efforts have to be focused on the existing literatures to propose acceptable variables to define work- relatedness specific to occupational low back pain. Evidences suggest twisting, frequent manual lifting of objects, duration of daily exposure, coping mechanism towards the pain, body mass index (BMI), smoking status and physical activity are associated with occupational back pain. However, further research efforts are needed to establish stronger evidence and improve the occupational safety and health of our workers that are exposed to all these h...
Psychosocial work characteristics and psychological strain in relation to low-back pain
Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 2001
Objectives This study investigated the relationship between psychosocial work characteristics and low-back pain and the potential intermediate role of psychological strain variables in this relationship. Methods The research was part of a prospective cohort study of risk factors for musculoskeletal symptoms. The study population consisted of 861 workers from 34 companies in The Netherlands who had no low-back pain at baseline and for whom data on the occurrence of low-back pain were obtained with annual questionnaires during a 3-year follow-up period. Information on psychosocial work characteristics and psychological strain variables was collected using a questionnaire at baseline. Cases of low-back pain were defined as workers who reported, in at least one of the annual follow-up questionnaires, that they had had regular or prolonged low-back pain in the previous 12 months. Results After adjustment for individual factors and quantified physical load at work, nonsignificant relative risks ranging from 1.3 to 1.6 were observed for high quantitative job demands, high conflicting demands, low supervisory support, and low co-worker support. Decision authority and skill discretion showed no relationship with low-back pain. In general, the estimated relative risks for the psychosocial work characteristics were scarcely influenced by additional adjustment for job satisfaction, emotional exhaustion, and sleeping difficulties. Conclusions It can be concluded that low social support, from either supervisors or co-workers, appears to be a risk factor for low-back pain. Some indications of a relationship between high quantitative job demands and high conflicting demands and low-back pain were also found. Little evidence was found for an intermediate role for the psychological strain variables under study.
The Association Between Physical Workload and Low Back Pain Clouded by the “Healthy Worker” Effect
Spine, 2001
Study Design. A population-based cross-sectional and 5-year prospective questionnaire study. Objective. To investigate self-reported physical workload as a risk factor for low back pain. Summary of Background Data. Both physical and psychosocial workplace factors are considered risk factors for low back pain. However, today no consensus has been reached regarding the exact role of these factors in the genesis of low back pain. Methods. Questionnaire data were collected at baseline for 1397 (and after 5 years for 1163) men and women aged 31-50 years at baseline. Low back pain ("any low back pain within the past year," "low back pain Յ 30 days in total during the past year," "low back pain Ͼ 30 days in total during the past year") was analyzed in relation to physical workload (sedentary, light physical, and heavy physical work) using logistic regression and controlling for age, gender, and social group. The proportions of workers changing between the workload groups over the 5-year period were analyzed in relation to low back pain status. Results. At baseline no statistically significant differences in low back pain outcomes were found for workers exposed to sedentary, light physical, or heavy physical work. This was true for all age, gender, and social groups. At follow-up there was a statistically significant doseresponse association between any low back pain and longstanding low back pain within the past year and increasing physical workload at baseline also after controlling for age, gender, and social group. Subjects with
Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2012
Objectives To examine the association between ergonomic physical and psychosocial exposures and the risk of prevalent and incident low back pain (LBP) in a longitudinal cohort of automobile manufacturing workers. Methods Ergonomic exposure intensity and LBP presence were determined through questionnaires at baseline (n¼1181) and to workers in the same job 1 year later (n¼505). Models were constructed using logbinomial regression with special attention to interactions between ergonomic exposures. Results Awkward back posture (prevalence ratio (PR) 1.12, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.17), hand force (PR 1.06, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.10), physical effort (PR 1.10, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.16) and whole body vibration (PR 1.04, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.08) were each associated cross-sectionally with LBP. Awkward back posture (RR 1.13, 95% CI 0.98 to 1.31) and hand force (RR 1.07, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.22) also predicted incident LBP, although estimates were statistically less precise. Neither job control, psychological demands, nor job strain was independently related to risk of incident LBP. Among participants reporting high physical ergonomic exposures and moderate to high job control, increasing job demands was associated with a reduced LBP risk (RR 0.72, 95% CI 0.52 to 1.00). Among participants reporting high physical exposures and low job control, psychological demands was associated with an increased LBP risk (RR 1.30, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.66). Conclusions Psychosocial workplace interventions for LBP should prioritise jobs in which there are high physical ergonomic exposures. Future studies of LBP should examine the interactions between physical ergonomic risk factors.