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Regular use of pain medication due to musculoskeletal disorders in the general working population: Cross‐sectional study among 10,000 workers
Author(s) -
Sundstrup Emil,
Jakobsen Markus D.,
Brandt Mikkel,
Jay Kenneth,
Ajslev Jeppe Z. N.,
Andersen Lars L.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.22612
Subject(s) - medicine , cross sectional study , physical therapy , confounding , odds ratio , logistic regression , odds , population , working population , musculoskeletal pain , work related musculoskeletal disorders , occupational medicine , musculoskeletal disorder , epidemiology , human factors and ergonomics , environmental health , poison control , pathology
Background We aimed to determine the association between work, health, and lifestyle with regular use of pain medication due to musculoskeletal disorders in the general working population. Methods Currently employed wage earners (N = 10,024) replied to questions about health, work, and lifestyle. The odds for regularly using medication for musculoskeletal disorders were modeled using logistic regression controlled for various confounders. Results Pain intensity increased the odds for using pain medication in a dose–response fashion. With seated work as reference, the odds for using pain medication were 1.26 (95%CI: 1.09–1.47) for workers engaged in standing or walking work that is not strenuous and 1.59 (95%CI: 1.39–1.82) for workers engaged in standing or walking work with lifting tasks or heavy and fast strenuous work. Conclusions Workers with higher levels of physical activity at work are more likely to use pain medication on a regular basis for musculoskeletal disorders, even when adjusting for pain intensity, lifestyle, and influence at work. Am. J. Ind. Med. 59:934–941, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.