Impact of Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain on Autonomic Function, Work Productivity, and Mood During Working Hours: A Pilot Cross-Sectional Study on IT Desk Workers

TL;DR

This study found that chronic musculoskeletal pain in desk workers is linked to lower parasympathetic activity and reduced work productivity, even when mood remains stable.

Contribution

The study introduces a feasible method combining HF-HRV and SPQ for screening workplace pain-related risks.

Findings

CMP group showed significantly lower HF-HRV, indicating reduced parasympathetic activity.

CMP workers reported lower work productivity as measured by SPQ scores.

No significant differences in mood states were observed between groups.

Abstract

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the impact of chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP), a prevalent issue among desk-based employees, on autonomic nervous function, work productivity, and mood during working hours.

Methods

The study enrolled 30 full-time software engineers employed at a Japanese information technology company. After excluding two participants because of incomplete heart rate variability (HRV) data, 28 individuals were included in the final analysis (15 with CMP and 13 without CMP). HRV was measured for 2.5 minutes between 15:00 and 16:00 using a photoplethysmographic accelerometer. Key indices included high-frequency power (HF), total power (TP), and the low-frequency to high-frequency ratio (LF/HF). Immediately following HRV assessment, participants completed the Two-Dimensional Mood Scale ([TDMS] subscales: vitality, stability, pleasure, arousal), the Single-Item Presenteeism Questionnaire (SPQ), and a CMP checklist. HRV parameters and TDMS scores were compared using independent-samples t-tests, while SPQ scores were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Effect sizes were calculated for all comparisons.

Results

There were no significant differences between groups for TP or LF/HF (p = 0.139 and 0.525, respectively). However, HF was significantly lower in the CMP group under a priori one-tailed testing (t(26) = −1.74, p = 0.047, Cohen’s d = 0.66), indicating diminished parasympathetic activity. SPQ scores were also significantly lower among participants with CMP (median: 80.0 vs. 92.0; U = 140.5, p = 0.042, r = 0.38). No significant group differences were observed across the four TDMS subscales (all p > 0.60, |d| < 0.20).

Conclusions

Desk workers with CMP exhibited reduced parasympathetic function and self-reported work productivity despite reporting comparable momentary mood states. These findings suggest that the combined use of HF-HRV and the single-item SPQ may offer a feasible approach for screening and monitoring workplace pain-related risk. Further longitudinal and interventional studies are warranted to establish causal relationships.