Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) increase the risk of reduced work ability significantly, yet a study finds that pain and pain-related fear of movement are only associated with low productivity among employees with good work ability. The study was conducted at a Danish production site among employees performing physically heavy work on a production line. Among employees with only moderate work ability, the researchers found no association between pain and productivity, nor between pain-related fear of movement and productivity. However, among those with good work ability, higher levels of pain/pain-related fear of movement increased the likelihood of low productivity significantly.
Sell L et al. “The interactions between pain, pain-related fear of movement and productivity”, Occupational Medicine, first published online 23 May 2014.
