The Esbjerg Cohort - A Cross-sectional Study About Work Ability and Musculoskeletal Pain in 55 to 70 Years Old Workers

Measured with Work Ability Index (WAI), which is a questionnaire, measuring seven items to assess the workers work ability

Measured in centimeters

Measured in kilograms

Calculated by kg/m^2

Measured in centimeters between the hip and the waist

Both diastolic and systolic

A part of the quantitative sensory testing battery. Measured with an algometer three times on thenar eminence at the non-dominant hand and at tibialis anterior on the non-dominant leg

A part of the quantitative sensory testing battery. Measured with a TSA 2001-II machine on thenar eminence at the non-dominant hand. The temperature rises and falls three times each with 1°C/s. The participant press a button, when they feel a change in temperature.

A part of the quantitative sensory testing battery. Measured with a TSA 2001-II machine on thenar eminence at the non-dominant hand. The temperature rises falls three times each with 1°C/s. The participant press a button, when they detects pain.

A part of the quantitative sensory testing battery. Measured with a TSA 2001-II machine. Ten brief repetitive heat pulses at thenar eminence on both hands. There the participant rates the second pain approximately one second after each stimulus.

A part of the quantitative sensory testing battery. Two separate stimuli were used. A test stimulus and a conditioning stimulus. The test stimulus consisted of pressure pain threshold measurements as described above. The test stimulus was performed on the non-dominant hand at the thenar eminence and tibialis anterior before and immediately after the conditioning stimulus, with one minute between the two test sides. The conditioning stimulus was a cold pressor test which consisted of cold water (10°C) immersion of the hand on the dominant side down to the wrist for a duration of two minutes.

Measured with The international Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), which is a 27-item self-reported questionnaire about physical activity for the last seven days at work and in spare time.

Measured with Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ). NMQ consist of a generally questionnaire to asses musculoskeletal disorders in nine anatomical region (ex. Shoulder, low back and knee). In addition, NMQ contains special questionnaires for low back, neck and shoulder symptoms to probe these areas more deeply. In this questionnaire, there have been an extension in the special questionnaires to all nine anatomical regions.

In addition to the standardized questionnaires described above, an extra questionnaire with further questions about the participant's ergonomics in their work and more generally about their pain on a scale from zero to ten.

Used to test the strength and endurance in the legs. Its measures how many times the participant can get up from a chair in 30 seconds.

Performed with a one-leg balance test. It measure how low the participant can stand on one leg with the arms on the waist.

Measures functional strength, balance and agility. The participant must climb up and down a flight of stairs as quickly as possible.

Measured with a sub maximal treadmill exercise test, known as Astrand 6 minute cycle test

Measured with a Biodex System 4 dynamometer. The dominant shoulder is tested. The participant makes an abduction and adduction as fast and powerful they can. The test is performed three times with 15 seconds rest between the tests.

Measured with a Biodex System 4 dynamometer. An isometric contraction in abduction in the dominant shoulder. The participant keeps the tension in 3-5 seconds with 40 seconds break between each test.

Measured with a Biodex System 4 dynamometer. The non-dominant knee is tested. The participant makes an extension and flexion as fast and powerful they can. The test is performed three times with 15 seconds rest between the tests.

Measured with a Biodex System 4 dynamometer. An isometric contraction in extension in the non-dominant knee. The participant keeps the tension in 3-5 seconds with 40 seconds break between each test.

Performed with a JAMAR hand dynamometer. The participant press the dominant hand as hard as they can for three to five seconds. The test is performed three times with 15 seconds break between each test.

Measured with the Danish Psychosocial Work Environment Questionnaire (DPQ). DPQ is a questionnaire used to evaluate the physical work environment (11). It contains 38 themes regarding to physical work environment within five overall dimensions.