Chronic pain and its relationship with work participation

Chronic pain affects around 28 million people in the United Kingdom and is a major public health challenge with a substantial economic and social burden. Employers lack awareness of the impacts of chronic pain on work and employee wellbeing which hinders provision of workplace support.

To examine the relationship between chronic pain and work participation measured in working age adults in England.

Analysis of online survey data (n = 310) from a cluster-randomized feasibility trial (Pain-at-Work), including measures of pain severity, participant-reported work participation measures, psychological wellbeing and work-related social support. Multivariable regression analyses examined the relationship between pain severity, work-related and psychological measures, adjusted for age, gender and Body Mass Index classification.

On average, 2.2 h/week (SD = 6.4) were lost due to health-related issues. Percentage of work productivity loss was 46.4% (SD = 27.0), mean health-related absenteeism was 7.6% (SD = 20.4), while presenteeism averaged 44.3% (SD = 26.3). Increased pain severity was associated with increased presenteeism (β = 3.67, 95% CI 2.08-5.27, P < 0.001), higher work productivity loss (β = 4.79, 95% CI 2.13-7.44, P = 0.001), increased activity impairment (β = 4.93, 95% CI 3.41-6.44, P < 0.001) and increased work limitations in the physical demand domain (β = 3.92, 95% CI 2.64-5.21, P < 0.001).

Chronic pain adversely impacts multiple aspects of work participation and psychological wellbeing, with effects worsening as pain severity increases. Employers can help mitigate this through tailored support and job design since hybrid working may be protective in contexts where it is viable.