The association between a lifetime history of a work-related neck injury and future neck pain: a population based cohort study.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between a lifetime history of a work-related neck injury and the development of troublesome neck pain in the general population.

METHODS

We formed a cohort of randomly sampled Saskatchewan adults with no or mild neck pain in September 1995. At baseline, participants were asked if they had ever injured their neck at work. Six and 12 months later, participants were asked if they had troublesome neck pain defined as grades II to IV on the Chronic Pain Grade Questionnaire. Multivariable Cox regression was used to estimate the association between a lifetime history of work-related neck injury and the onset of troublesome neck pain while controlling for age and sex.

RESULTS

Our cohort included 866 individuals at risk for developing troublesome neck pain. Of those, 73.8% (639/866) were followed up at 6 months, and 63.0% (546/866), at 1 year. We found a positive association between a history of a work-related neck injury and the onset of troublesome neck pain (age- and sex-adjusted hazard rate ratio [HRR], 2.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-4.7).

CONCLUSION

Our analysis suggests that a lifetime history of work-related neck injury is associated with an increased risk of troublesome neck pain. Occupational neck injuries can lead to recurrent episodes of neck pain.