Abstract

BackgroundThe effect of physical activity on risk and prognosis for neck pain has been studied earlier with inconclusive results. There is a need for large prospective studies on the subject. The aim of this study was to investigate if work related physical activity and physical activity during leisure time are of importance for the risk and prognosis of neck pain in men and women.MethodsWe used the Stockholm Public Health Cohort and formed two sub-cohorts of the working population based on data from 2002. Cohort I (risk cohort) included persons without neck pain (n = 4681), and cohort II (prognostic cohort) included persons with occasional neck pain (n = 6820) during the previous six months. Both cohorts were assessed for the outcome long duration troublesome neck pain (LDNP) in 2007.The exposures and potential confounders were assessed through a questionnaire in 2002. The question regarding work related physical activity over the past 12 months had five answering categories ranging from “sedentary” to”heavy”. The question regarding leisure physical activity for the past 12 months had five answering categories ranging from “sedentary” to “regular physical activity”.LDNP in 2007 was defined as having had troublesome neck pain lasting ≥ 3 consecutive months during the previous five years. Associations between work related physical activity and LDNP, as well as leisure physical activity and LDNP, were investigated by multivariable logistic regression, considering potential confounding factors.ResultsIn cohort I (risk cohort) we found an association between leisure physical activity and LDNP. In cohort II (prognostic cohort) we found no association between the exposures and the outcome.ConclusionThe results suggest that leisure physical activity has a protective effect on the risk of developing LDNP in a population free from neck pain. It did not, however, affect the prognosis of occasional neck pain. Neither the risk nor the prognosis of neck pain was affected by work related physical activity in this study.

Highlights

  • The effect of physical activity on risk and prognosis for neck pain has been studied earlier with inconclusive results

  • A recent prospective study by Nielsen et al found that leisure physical activity had a slightly protective effect on chronic neck pain, [21] which is in accordance with our results

  • Our results support earlier findings of no association between the exposures and the prognosis for neck pain, these studies focused on improvement of neck pain while our study focused on worsening of neck pain [23, 24]

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Summary

Introduction

The effect of physical activity on risk and prognosis for neck pain has been studied earlier with inconclusive results. The aim of this study was to investigate if work related physical activity and physical activity during leisure time are of importance for the risk and prognosis of neck pain in men and women. Neck pain is a common disorder in the general population with a 12-month prevalence between 30–50 % [4] and for bothersome neck pain the 12-month prevalence is 16 % among men and 25 % among women [5]. Of those who recover from neck pain, up to 75 % will relapse within 1–5 years [6]. Considering its recurring nature and that neck pain is a big societal as well as individual burden, it is of great importance to identify what factors that may influence the risk and prognosis of neck pain

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