Low heart rate variability is associated with extended pain-related sick leave among employed care-seekers.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.2340/16501977-0882Keywords:
autonomic nervous system, cardiac autonomic regulation, return to work, sick leave, multimodal rehabilitation, pain treatment, cognitive behavioural rehabilitation, treatment.Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between autonomic regulation and length of pain-related sick leave in subjects receiving a cognitive behavioural therapy-based return to work intervention. METHODS: Sixty-five persons (29 men, 36 women) on pain-related sick leave participated in the study. Electrocardiograms were recorded in the clinic during supine rest, passive head-up tilt, standing, and seated rest, and in the home during seated rest and sleep. Spectral components of heart rate variability were derived from short-term (5 min) segments of electrocardiogram recordings. The number of days on sick leave was obtained from register data for 3 months before to 6 months after seeking care at the primary healthcare clinic. RESULTS: Extended sick leave (> 121 days) compared with short sick leave (< 29 days) was associated with higher heart rate, and lower heart rate variability in supine rest and the seated position. The associations in supine rest were marginally weakened by adjusting for offensive behaviours at work. (for example, exposure to bullying, sexual harassment, unpleasant teasing, etc.) CONCLUSION: Higher heart rate and lower heart rate variability measured in the awake resting condition predicts extended sick leave in care-seeking individuals. Further research is needed to clarify the underlying nature and causal role of altered autonomic regulation with regard to extended pain-related sick leave.Downloads
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
All digitalized JRM contents is available freely online. The Foundation for Rehabilitation Medicine owns the copyright for all material published until volume 40 (2008), as from volume 41 (2009) authors retain copyright to their work and as from volume 49 (2017) the journal has been published Open Access, under CC-BY-NC licences (unless otherwise specified). The CC-BY-NC licenses allow third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and to remix, transform, and build upon the material for non-commercial purposes, provided proper attribution to the original work.
From 2024, articles are published under the CC-BY licence. This license permits sharing, adapting, and using the material for any purpose, including commercial use, with the condition of providing full attribution to the original publication.
