Table 1 Characteristics of participants with chronic pain
Study number | Age range | Gender | Type/Cause/ Location of pain | Duration of pain | Work situation | Site recruited from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PI01 | 35–40 | Male | Injury to neck while using rowing machine in gym leading to painful left shoulder and arm with little function (nerve damage) Back pain | 2 years | Unemployed since injury due to pain as unable to do previous job (warehouse work) | NHS Pain clinic via physiotherapy |
PI02 | 65–70 | Male | Back injury at work – threw a pallet in anger about a colleague being bullied and his back went into spasm and now has pain from back down to toes and pins and needles – diagnosed with sciatic nerve compression | Constant pain since 1992 (25 years) but had back problems before that | Retired now – retired earlier than he would have liked due to back pain | NHS Pain clinic via physiotherapy |
PI03 | 30–35 | Male | Accident with machinery at work – caused back pain linked with hernia of spine at L5 and degeneration of discs | 4 years | Suspended from work due to number of episodes of sickness absence because of pain | NHS Pain clinic via physiotherapy |
PI04 | 60–65 | Female | Hip replacement in 2004 then in 2007 started getting spasms in left thigh from the groin down to the knee but nothing found on scans and X –rays Back pain due to osteoarthritis - diagnosed with stenosis of spine & five bulging discs from base of spine to waist | 10 years | Off sick from work due to pain – waiting for meeting at work to discuss return | NHS Pain clinic via physiotherapy and attended pain management programme |
PI05 | 30–35 | Female | Lower back pain since age of 13 linked with childhood abuse – diagnosed with degenerative arthritis of coccyx, two bulging discs Torn disc of spine two years ago – following severe coughing caused by respiratory infection | 18 years | Became self-employed due to back pain causing difficulties and sickness absence in previous job (residential care work) | NHS Pain clinic via physiotherapy and attended pain management programme |
PI06 | 35–40 | Female | Fell over and twisted ankle – fracture not diagnosed initially but diagnosed sometime after injury when already healed Complex Regional Pain Syndrome diagnosed later | 5 years | Unable to continue with jobs due to pain so now unemployed and claiming benefits | NHS Pain clinic via consultant physician |
PI07 | 60–65 | Male | Pain in feet at night due to nerve damage secondary to diabetes Pain in leg linked with fall – found two small metal pieces in leg (maybe as a result of previous motorbike accidents) Pain in left arm coming from neck into shoulder | Since heart attack 2 years ago | Unemployed. Went onto Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) after heart attack as no longer able to do previous job (fork lift truck driver) and was recently moved from ESA to Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) following health assessment | Job Shop |
PI08 | 55–60 | Male | Congenital disability that affected one side of body and wore a calliper as a child. Has had a number of operations on his affected foot to straighten it as used to walk on tiptoe. Has pain in both sides of his body and especially the foot that was operated on | Since childhood | Unemployed – recently moved from ESA to JSA following health assessment | Job Shop |
PI09 | 20–25 | Female | Pain (burning and stabbing pain) from knees downwards – worse at night and in the morning – cause unknown – nerve tests inconclusive Morton’s Neuroma in feet cause pain Pain linked with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) | Pain in legs - last year and a half Pain in feet −1 year Pain linked with CFS – 6 years. | Unemployed – on ESA but does not get any money as partner works more than 20 h | NHS Pain Clinic via clinical psychologist in Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) |
PI10 | 50–55 | Male | Fractured spine – internal fixation and has five degenerating vertebrae | 13 years | Unemployed – on benefits | NHS Pain Clinic via consultant physician |
PI11 | 50–55 | Female | Lower back pain linked with previous job | Many years of intermittent back pain but more severe in last 6 months | Unemployed – unable to do previous job due to pain | Job Shop |
PI12 | 45–50 | Female | Arm pain linked with tennis elbow | 8 years | Unemployed due to pain | Job Shop |
PI13 | 50–55 | Male | Slipped disc at bottom of lumbar spine – work related injury Trapped nerve in left shoulder | Back pain – 7 years Shoulder pain – 10 years | Unemployed due to difficulties in previous job linked with pain and disability | NHS Pain clinic via physiotherapist |
PI14 | 25–30 | Female | Knee pain – ligament damage exacerbated due to fall | Couple of years ago | Unemployed | Job Shop |
PI15 | 55–60 | Female | Osteoarthritis causing knee pain One partial knee replacement | A few years Partial knee replacement one year ago | Unemployed – made redundant five months previously when store where she worked closed down | Job Shop |