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Updated: Jan 19, 2026
Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty
Published on: July 5, 2011
Physical and psychosocial work exposures as risk factors for disability retirement due to a shoulder lesion
Maria Sirén1,2, Eira Viikari-Juntura3, Jari Arokoski4,2
1Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland maria.siren@hus.fi.
Objective:
To assess the longitudinal associations of physical and psychosocial exposures with disability retirement due to a shoulder lesion.
Methods:
In a nationwide register-based study, we followed 1 135 654 wage earners aged 30-59 years for the occurrence of disability retirement due to a shoulder lesion. The occupational exposures were assessed with job exposure matrices. We used a competing risk regression model to estimate HRs and their 95% CIs and to test for the association between the exposures and the outcome. We also calculated the attributable fraction of disability retirement due to occupational exposures.
Results:
A total of 2472 persons had full disability retirement due to a shoulder lesion during the follow-up. Physically heavy work showed the strongest association with the outcome in both genders, in men with an HR of 2.90 (95% CI 2.37 to 3.55) and in women with an HR of 3.21 (95% CI 2.80 to 3.90). Of the specific physical exposures, working with hands above shoulder level was statistically significantly associated with disability retirement in men. When all physical exposures were taken into consideration, 46% and 41% of disability retirement due to a shoulder lesion were attributed to physical work load factors in men and women, respectively. In addition, 49% (men) and 35% (women) of disability retirement were attributed to psychosocial work-related factors.
Conclusions:
Our findings suggest that a considerable proportion of disability retirement due to a shoulder lesion could be prevented by reducing physical and psychosocial exposures at work to a low level.
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