Highlights
- •Analysis of all chronic pain disorders in workers.
- •New information on the characterization of pain disorders and their impact.
- •Identification of profiles of workers at varying risk of developing chronic pain.
Abstract
Chronic pain prevention and treatment constitute a challenge for occupational health
The aim of this study was to provide data on workers in a variety of jobs and multiple
contexts to determine the prevalence and characteristics of different chronic pain
disorders, in view to highlighting possible new targets for preventive actions. 1,008
participants working in 14 French IKEA stores were analyzed in this observational
study on the basis of their responses to surveys on their sociodemographic characteristics,
psychosocial factors, lifestyle, and pain disorders. The prevalence of chronic pain,
moderate-to-severe chronic pain and high-impact chronic pain were 49%, 30%, and 11%,
respectively. Chronic pain was predominantly located in the neck and back, and identified
mostly as nociceptive, with, for some participants, a neuropathic component (mixed
pain). The majority of chronic pain was reported as being due to professional activity,
and causing at least one work stoppage during the past year in half of the participants.
Jobs that were the most common sources of chronic pain were those with a higher proportion
of repetitive gestures, no consecutive days of rest, stress at work, such as cash-register/catering
jobs. Overall, this study highlighted profiles at risk of developing or suffering
from chronic pain, and several associated factors: ≥40 years old, female sex, overweight/obesity,
repetitive gestures, no consecutive days of rest, stress, catastrophism, workplace
environment, poor quality of life, and mental state. In conclusion, these data give
interesting information on the characteristics of workers with chronic pain and highlight
profiles of participants.
Perspective: This study provides important information about the features of chronic pain in a
model of a working population of Western countries. This information can be used to
propose preventive actions.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 09, 2020
Footnotes
Funding: This research was funded by the Analgesia Institute (Clermont-Ferrand, France), IKEA France (Paris, France) and the University Hospital of Clermont-Ferrand.
Conflicts of interest: None of the authors declare a conflict of interest.
Registration number: NCT03277885.
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 by United States Association for the Study of Pain, Inc.
