• Marie Vestergaard Vad, Poul Frost, Jacob Rosenberg, and Susanne Wulff Svendsen.
• Occupational Medicine, Herning Hospital, Denmark and Occupational Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Danish Ramazzini Centre, Aarhus, Denmark marivd@rm.dk.
• Occup Environ Med. 2019 Oct 1; 76 (10): 712-717.

ObjectivesThis study aims to evaluate the risk of persistent postoperative pain after inguinal hernia repair in relation to occupational lifting and standing/walking.MethodsWe conducted a 6-month follow-up study that included all men with an inguinal hernia repair registered in the Danish Hernia Database from 1 January 2015 to 31 October 2016, who were born from 1 October 1949 to 1 October 1998, and who were alive, living in Denmark, and active in the labour market in the week before surgery. Members of the cohort received a questionnaire 6 months after surgery. Exposure estimates were allocated by combining self reported job titles with a job exposure matrix. Prevalence ratios of persistent postoperative pain during activity ≥2 on a numerical rating scale (range 0-10) according to occupational lifting and standing/walking were estimated using Poisson regression.ResultsOf 4817 eligible patients, 2609 (54%) returned the questionnaire and 2508 contributed to the analyses. A total of 473 men (18.9%) reported persistent postoperative pain. In the group lifting >1000 to 6125 kg/day, the prevalence was 26.8% compared with 17.5% in the minimally exposed group; adjusted prevalence ratio: 1.44 (95% CI 1.16 to 1.79). For standing/walking >6 hours/day, the prevalence was 23.6% compared with 17.0% in the group standing <4 hours/day; adjusted prevalence ratio: 1.18 (95% CI 0.92 to 1.50).ConclusionsThe risk of persistent postoperative pain after inguinal hernia repair was elevated among men with occupational lifting exposures >1000 kg/day. This finding suggests a preventive potential.© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.

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