Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Nov;92(8):1099-1108.
doi: 10.1007/s00420-019-01447-y. Epub 2019 Jun 4.

Sick leave due to musculoskeletal pain: determinants of distinct trajectories over 1 year

David M Hallman  1 , Andreas Holtermann  2 , Martin Björklund  3   4 , Nidhi Gupta  2 , Charlotte D Nørregaard Rasmussen  2
Affiliations

Sick leave due to musculoskeletal pain: determinants of distinct trajectories over 1 year

David M Hallman et al. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2019 Nov.

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to identify sub-groups of workers with different trajectories of sick leave due to musculoskeletal pain over 1 year, and to investigate the extent to which the identified trajectories are associated with personal, occupational, lifestyle, and pain-related factors at baseline.

Methods: Data on 981 blue- and white-collar workers were analyzed in the DPHACTO cohort (2012-2014). The number of days on sick leave due to pain was reported using text messages at 4-week intervals across 1 year. Latent class growth analysis was used to distinguish sub-groups with different trajectories of sick leave. A web-based questionnaire at baseline was used to assess personal, occupational (physical and psychosocial), lifestyle, and pain-related factors. Multinomial regression models were constructed to determine associations between baseline factors and trajectories of sick leave (referencing no sick leave), with adjustment for potential confounders.

Results: Four distinct sub-groups were identified, with trajectories of sick leave due to pain ranging from no sick leave (prevalence 76%; average 0.5 days/year) to some days and increasing sick leave due to pain over 1 year (2%; 89 days/year). The increasing trajectory of sick leave was associated with higher perceived physical exertion, more time in manual work, less social community and influence at work, less leisure-time physical activity, smoking, and more severe symptoms (e.g., multisite pain, low back pain intensity, and pain interference).

Conclusions: We identified four distinct trajectories of sick leave due to musculoskeletal pain. The sub-group with increasing sick leave due to pain was associated with several modifiable physical and psychosocial factors at work and outside work, which may have implications for prevention.

Keywords: Longitudinal; Risk factors; Sickness absence; Workers.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Distinguished trajectories of sick leave due to musculoskeletal pain over 1 year in the DPHACTO cohort (n = 981). The x-axis represents the repeated data collection every 4th week over 1 year starting at baseline (wave 1) with 14 waves in total. The y-axis represents the average predicted number of days on sick leave due to musculoskeletal pain the past month
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Alavinia SM, van den Berg TIJ, van Duivenbooden C, Elders LAM, Burdorf A. Impact of work-related factors, lifestyle, and work ability on sickness absence among Dutch construction workers. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2009;35(5):325–333. doi: 10.5271/sjweh.1340. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Andersen LL, Clausen T, Mortensen OS, Burr H, Holtermann A. A prospective cohort study on musculoskeletal risk factors for long-term sickness absence among healthcare workers in eldercare. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2012;85(6):615–622. doi: 10.1007/s00420-011-0709-5. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Andersen LL, Fallentin N, Thorsen SV, Holtermann A. Physical workload and risk of long-term sickness absence in the general working population and among blue-collar workers: prospective cohort study with register follow-up. Occup Environ Med. 2016;73(4):246. doi: 10.1136/oemed-2015-103314. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Andersen LL, Thorsen SV, Flyvholm M-A, Holtermann A. Long-term sickness absence from combined factors related to physical work demands: prospective cohort study. Eur J Public Health. 2018;28(5):824–829. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/cky073. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ariens GA, Bongers PM, Hoogendoorn WE, van der Wal G, van Mechelen W. High physical and psychosocial load at work and sickness absence due to neck pain. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2002;28(4):222–231. doi: 10.5271/sjweh.669. - DOI - PubMed