Arthritis Rheum ; Rossignol M, Leclerc A, Allaert FA, Rozenberg S, Valat JP, Avouac B, Coste P, Litvak K, Hilliquin P. Primary osteoarthritis of the hip, knee, and hand in relation to occupational exposure. Occup Environ Med ; Yelin E, Murphy L, Cisternas M, Foreman A, Pasta D, Helmick C.

Medical care expenditures and earnings losses among persons with arthritis and other rheumatic conditions in , and comparisons to Arthritis and Rheumatism ;56 5 Theis KA, Hootman JM, Helmick CG, Murphy LM, Bolen J, Langmaid G, Jones GC.

State-specific prevalence of arthritis-attributable work limitation—United States, MMWR ; Department of Defense: Ergonomics Tech Guide Booklet I, General Program Management. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link.

Workplace Health Promotion. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Minus Related Pages. In , MSDs involved a median of 8 days away from work compared with 6 days for all nonfatal injury and illness cases e.

Carpal tunnel syndrome CTS The U. AAWL affects one in 20 working-age adults aged in the United States and one in three working-age adults with self-reported, doctor-diagnosed arthritis 15 The National Business Group on Health recommends that employers address arthritis by encouraging workers to avoid obesity and providing ergonomically appropriate workplace design 16 Early diagnosis and appropriate management of arthritis can help people with arthritis decrease pain, improve function, stay productive, and lower health care costs.

Developing and Implementing Workplace Controls Engineering controls, administrative controls and use of personal protective A three-tier hierarchy of controls is widely accepted as an intervention strategy for reducing, eliminating, or controlling workplace hazards, including ergonomic hazards.

The three tiers are: Use of engineering controls The preferred approach to prevent and control WMSDs is to design the job to take account of the capabilities and limitations of the workforce using engineering controls.

Some examples include: Changing the way materials, parts, and products can be transported. For example, using mechanical assist devices to relieve heavy load lifting and carrying tasks or using handles or slotted hand holes in packages requiring manual handling Changing workstation layout, which might include using height-adjustable workbenches or locating tools and materials within short reaching distances Use of administrative controls changes in work practices and management policies Administrative control strategies are policies and practices that reduce WMSD risk but they do not eliminate workplace hazards.

Although engineering controls are preferred, administrative controls can be helpful as temporary measures until engineering controls can be implemented or when engineering controls are not technically feasible. Some examples include: Reducing shift length or limiting the amount of overtime Changes in job rules and procedures such as scheduling more breaks to allow for rest and recovery Rotating workers through jobs that are physically tiring Training in the recognition of risk factors for WMSDs and instructions in work practices and techniques that can ease the task demands or burden e.

Respirators, ear plugs, safety goggles, chemical aprons, safety shoes, and hard hats are all examples of PPE Whether braces, wrist splints, back belts, and similar devices can be regarded as offering personal protection against ergonomic hazards remains an open question.

Although these devices may, in some situations, reduce the duration, frequency or intensity of exposure, evidence of their effectiveness in injury reduction is inconclusive.

An example is the use of wrist splints while engaging in work that requires wrist bending Ergonomics Ergonomics is the science of fitting workplace conditions and job demands to the capability of the working population. NIOSH workers health chartbook NIOSH Publication No.

National Business Group on Health. Page last reviewed: February 12, Content source: Division of Population Health , National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

home Workplace Health Promotion home. Get Email Updates. To receive email updates about Workplace Health Promotion, enter your email address: Email Address. What's this? Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving the CDC website. As stated in FisherTitus. org , a website that provides information about health care, Drinking milk is a common way to prevent joint pains.

You can't have healthy joints without healthy bones. That's why it's critical to consume sufficient calcium, found in milk, cheese, yogurt and vegetables, to anticipate joint torment.

gov assesses it, a website about the journal of nutrition, only 32 percent of grown-ups get sufficient calcium. Sit-stand desk converters are also useful in preventing muscle fatigues and joint pains. These desk converters help maintain your weight by simply giving you an option to stand up after sitting for too long which causes weight pressure on your muscles and joints.

Using anti-fatigue mats is also a way to reduce muscle fatigue when standing too much. Anti-fatigue mats are regularly utilized to diminish foot and lower limb disorders for workers who stand in one position for long periods.

Providing anti-fatigue mats can increase worker comfort and diminish productivity wasted to work-related injuries. Adopting a health program in workplaces is beneficial for both the employees and employer.

This creates a more energetic, successful and productive working culture within the environment. Prevention i s better than cure. Knowing how to prevent the causes of fatigue and pains can help improve your health and productivity at work.

Skip to Content Free Shipping Anywhere in Canada. Search My account 0 You have 0 items in your cart. Monitor Mounts. Anti-Fatigue Mats. My shopping cart. Standing Desks. Hit space bar to expand submenu Accessories. Monitor Mounts Anti-Fatigue Mats Treadmills.

Stay in the know! To receive your coupon code, simply sign up for our newsletter below: Enter email address Join. What is Muscle Fatigue? What is Joint Pain? How do Muscle Fatigue and Joint Pain Affect Workplace productivity? Symptoms of Muscle Fatigue and Joint Pain To prevent muscle fatigue and joint pain, you must first know its symptoms.

Other indications related to muscle fatigues include: soreness localized pain shortness of breath muscle twitching trembling a weak grip muscle cramps As for joint pains, these may be due to the damage affecting any of the tendons, bursae, or ligaments encompassing the joint. The findings from our systematic review extend that available from previous reviews, published 10 years ago.

These identified mild negative effects of OA on work participation [ 8 ], but that there was little research available about individual or work-related factors associated with absenteeism, and none about factors associated with presenteeism in people with OA [ 22 ]. Since , more studies investigating factors associated with work participation in OA have been published.

Despite the heterogeneity of study methodologies and work outcomes limiting our ability to synthesize the body of literature into specific findings, the studies included in this systematic review highlight that physically intensive jobs were associated with absenteeism, presenteeism, and premature work loss due to ill-health three cohort studies and one cross-sectional study [ 24 , 30 , 31 , 40 ].

Moderate-to-severe joint pain and pain interference were associated with presenteeism, work transitions, and premature work loss four cohort and four cross-sectional studies [ 17 , 24 , 34 , 35 , 38 , 39 , 41 , 42 ].

Physical limitations and worse physical function scores were associated with presenteeism and expected workplace limitations two cohort studies [ 17 , 35 ].

Some evidence suggests that having comorbidities was associated with absenteeism and work transitions one cohort and two cross-sectional studies [ 33 , 36 , 43 ].

Low co-worker support was associated with work transitions and premature work loss one cohort and one cross-sectional studies [ 32 , 36 ]. It has been well established that heavy physical workload is a common occupational risk factor for OA.

Heavy physical workload factors, such as recurrent squatting, bending, kneeling, climbing stairs, and loading of the knee, contribute to the development of knee OA [ 48 , 49 , 50 ].

Physically intensive work, manual or semi-manual labour sectors, or jobs with heavy physical workload were associated with absenteeism, presenteeism, and premature work loss due to ill-health [ 24 , 30 , 31 , 40 ]. The risk of manual workers having disability retirement was strongly attributed to physical heavy workload [ 32 ].

This is supported by previous epidemiological evidence that increased risk of disability retirement, earlier retirement, and mortality among workers is associated with physically demanding work [ 51 , 52 ]. There may be other individual and lifestyle factors affecting premature work loss not reported in the studies in this review.

For example, those in non-physically intensive occupations may find it easier to stay in work despite OA, while those in physically intensive roles may have limited work ability due to the nature of their work tasks and environment [ 31 ].

People with OA experiencing moderate-to-severe joint pain or high pain intensity have reduced work productivity and greater overall work impairment compared to those with no or mild pain or no OA [ 24 , 34 , 35 , 38 , 39 , 41 ].

Additionally, pain interference with normal work or housework was also associated with premature work loss [ 17 , 42 ]. Previous research has shown that greater initial pain intensity, pain for longer duration, multisite pain and initial functional limitations are predictors of poor functional outcomes in people with OA [ 3 ].

The findings in our review show that physical limitations and worse physical function scores were associated with presenteeism and expected workplace limitations. Physical limitation is a mediator in the association between pain intensity and onset of work productivity loss [ 35 ].

Those reporting more difficulty performing work-related tasks e. Improving physical function in patients with higher pain levels could improve work productivity outcomes [ 35 ]. Some evidence from two small cross-sectional studies and a large cohort study suggests that comorbidity burden was also associated with absenteeism, work impairment, and work transitions [ 33 , 36 , 43 ].

This supports previous research showing associations between musculoskeletal pain, depression, and high blood pressure with reduced worker productivity [ 54 , 55 , 56 ].

Additionally, patients experiencing higher pain intensity and currently using prescription medication have the highest comorbidity burden. Two studies reported that low co-worker support was associated with work transitions and premature work loss due to OA and knee problems [ 35 , 36 ].

Previous research identified a lack of perceived co-worker support being associated with greater job strain and work loss in people with arthritis [ 59 ]. The fear of being perceived as receiving special treatment was also an important barrier to requesting workplace accommodations or using available support measures, potentially leading to greater job strain and work loss [ 60 ].

Thus, it is important that employers and co-workers are aware of work difficulties experienced by people with long-term health conditions, to enable supportive workplaces meeting the requirements of disability equality legislation to help them stay in work. Only three studies examined workplace accommodations in people with OA.

However, people with arthritis who worked fewer hours reported greater job strain, possibly due to their arthritis limiting their ability to work longer hours or meeting their work demands [ 61 ].

Greater accommodation use was predicted by work activity limitations, physical work demands and health variability [ 25 ]. The most common accommodations were flexitime e. Previous research also reported that lack of workplace accommodations, such as flexible working hours and adapting the work environment, are associated with absenteeism and reduced work productivity [ 62 ].

Research about workplace accommodations for working people with OA is sparse and is needed to identify how these can help with job retention. There are limitations to this review. Fourteen studies used the Kellgren-Lawrence classification of OA or secondary care health professionals to confirm the presence of OA in participants, but five studies only used self-reported physician diagnosis of OA, which may reduce reliability of the findings as not all such participants may have OA.

However, self-report is a commonly accepted method of defining OA in epidemiological surveys, as OA can be diagnosed clinically without investigation if a person is 45 years old or over, has activity-related joint pain, and either no or less than 30 min of morning joint-related stiffness [ 63 ].

A second limitation is that more than half of the included studies were cross-sectional, meaning the link between exposure and outcome cannot be established. More longitudinal studies are required to investigate the link between OA and work participation.

Most studies used self-reported data collection, which is prone to recall, attrition, and selection biases. Five studies from Scandinavia used data from national registries, with large cohort sizes, making their findings more generalisable to Scandinavia [ 14 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ].

All the included studies were from high income countries, which probably have better income support systems, paid sick leave policies and wellbeing policies compared to lower income countries, and these may influence reporting of absenteeism or premature work loss.

Those studies measuring presenteeism used different outcome measures making it challenging to accurately compare productivity across studies. Heavy physical workload, physically intensive work, moderate-to-severe joint pain, comorbidities, and low co-worker support are associated with poor work participation outcomes.

Improving work ability in people with OA requires a multifactorial approach addressing physical, psychological, socio-environmental, and work-related factors to manage the condition, as well as managing associated co-morbidities.

These factors affect economic losses or gains in employees and employers, as most with OA could continue to work, despite persistent symptoms, given the right support [ 18 ].

In the UK, the Equality Act [ 64 ] requires employers to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate employees with long-term disabilities. More studies are required to assess workplace accommodation needs and workplace adjustments made to understand what can be done to adjust work processes for employees living with OA.

There was limited evidence in our review that age was associated with absenteeism. Problems with more than one joint, job insecurity, prescription medication use, and greater depression symptom severity were associated with presenteeism, but this warrants further research due to limited evidence.

Additionally, using a standard work outcomes core set is needed to facilitate comparisons between work studies. More studies are also required to investigate and explore other personal and environmental factors related to work which were not reported in our review, in order to understand how these factors affect the decision about work participation in employees living with OA and to identify targets for future interventions.

This review demonstrated that, although limited evidence, there are moderate-to-good quality studies investigating the impact of OA on work participation, especially in terms of how biopsychosocial and work-related factors influence this. It identified factors associated with work participation such as physically demanding jobs, experiencing moderate-to-severe joint pain, living with co-morbidities, and low co-worker support , which are worth exploring further to help develop personal and workplace strategies to support work participation in employed people with OA.

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