Sleeping problems as a risk factor for subsequent musculoskeletal pain and the role of job strain: results from a one-year follow-up of the Malmö Shoulder Neck Study Cohort.
BACKGROUND
The role of sleeping problems in the causal pathway between job strain and musculoskeletal pain is not clear.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the impact of sleeping problems and job strain on the one-year risk for neck, shoulder, and lumbar pain.


METHODS
A prospective study, using self-administered questionnaires, of a healthy cohort of 4,140 vocationally active persons ages 45-64, residing in the city of Malmo.


RESULTS
At follow-up, 11.8% of the men and 14.8% of the women had developed pain. The odds ratios (OR) for pain at follow-up and sleeping problems at baseline were 1.72 (95% CI: 1.13-2.61) in men and 1.91 (1.35-2.70) in women. Regarding exposure to job strain, ORs were 1.39 (0.94-2.05) for men and 1.63 (1.18-2.23) for women. These statistically significant risks remained so when controlled for possible confounding. A modest synergistic effect was noted in women with concurrent sleeping problems and job strain, but not in men.


CONCLUSIONS
One in 15-20 of all new cases of chronic pain in the population could be attributed to sleeping problems. No evidence was found for a causal chain with job strain leading to musculoskeletal pain by the pathway of sleeping problems.
Canivet
Catarina
C
Division of General Practice, Department of Clinical Sciences Malmo, Lund University, Malmö , Sweden. catarina.canivet@med.lu.se
Ostergren
Per-Olof
PO
Choi
Bongkyoo
B
Nilsson
Peter
P
af Sillén
Ulrika
U
Moghadassi
Mahnaz
M
Karasek
Robert
R
Isacsson
Sven-Olof
SO
D001416:Back Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D015984:Causality; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D020069:Shoulder Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden; D016526:Workload / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data