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Common Pains Hurt Worker Productivity

By Lindsay F. Wiley [Bio]

December 26, 2003 - Headaches, backaches, arthritis and other types of musculoskeletal pain cost American workers an average of 4.6 hours of productive time each week, resulting in an estimated cost of $61.2 billion in lost hours, according to a study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study, based on a survey of nearly 29,000 working Americans found that more than half had experienced these common types of pain in the previous two weeks and about thirteen percent had fewer productive hours during the two week period as a result.
Researchers, led by Walter F. Stewart, director of the Center for Health Research & Rural Advocacy for Geisinger Health Systems in Danville, Pennsylvania., said workers in pain might have trouble concentrating, work more slowly than usual, or pause to rest. The findings suggest that many workers aren’t getting sufficient treatment for common pain.

The study was sponsored by AdvancePCS, which manages prescriptions for pharmacies.