Occupational Musculoskeletal Disorders and Low Back Pain

Occupational musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) encompass a spectrum of conditions affecting muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves and joints arising from or aggravated by work activities. Low back pain (LBP) is the most prevalent manifestation, imposing a substantial global health burden through reduced productivity, increased absenteeism and elevated healthcare costs. Physical risk factors include repetitive motions, sustained awkward postures, heavy lifting and exposure to whole-body vibration. Psychosocial elements such as high job demands, low control and social stressors further exacerbate risk. Pathophysiologically, excessive mechanical loading and microtrauma trigger inflammatory cascades, leading to pain, reduced mobility and chronic disability. Diagnosis relies on clinical assessment supported by imaging for complex cases, while prevention and management strategies target ergonomic optimisation of workstations, training in safe manual handling, structured exercise regimens and organisational interventions to address workload and break patterns. Emerging technologies—wearable sensors, exoskeletons and digital monitoring—promise personalised risk profiling and real-time feedback. Despite advances, gaps remain in defining threshold values for safe exposure, understanding individual susceptibility and demonstrating the long-term effectiveness of multifaceted interventions.

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Occupational Musculoskeletal Disorders and Low Back Pain publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in occupational musculoskeletal disorders and low back pain across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Occupational musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs): Conditions affecting muscles, joints or nerves induced or aggravated by workplace activities.

Low back pain (LBP): Pain localized between the lower ribs and the gluteal folds, often with mechanical or postural origin.

Whole-body vibration: Transmission of mechanical oscillations through the working surface to the body, commonly in vehicle operators.

Ergonomic intervention: Modification of tasks, tools or environments to reduce physical strain and injury risk.

Odds ratio (OR): A statistical measure expressing the likelihood of an outcome given exposure compared with non-exposure.

Psychosocial factors: Work-related social and psychological conditions, such as stress, job control and support, influencing health outcomes.

References

1. Characterization of workers or population percentage affected by low-back pain (LPB), sciatica and herniated disc due to whole-body vibrations (WBV). Heliyon (2024).
2. Risk factors for low back pain in the Chinese population: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Public Health (2024).
3. Low Back Pain and Upper-Extremity Musculoskeletal Disorders in French Postal Workers Driving Light-Duty Vehicles for Mail and Parcel Delivery. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2023).