Work limitations due to neck-shoulder pain and physical work demands in older workers: cross-sectional study

Purpose Many older workers are working despite having neck-shoulder pain (NSP), which may give rise to work limitations due to pain, especially among those with high physical work demands. This study investigated the joint association of neck-shoulder pain intensity and physical work demands with work limitations among older workers. Methods In SeniorWorkingLife, workers ≥ 50 years ( n = 11,800) replied to questions about NSP intensity, work limitations due to pain, and physical activity demands at work. The odds ratio for having a higher level of work limitations due to pain in relation to neck-shoulder pain intensity and physical work demands were modeled using logistic regression controlled for various confounders. Results The results showed that the neck-shoulder pain intensity was associated with work limitations in a dose–response fashion ( p