Study: Pain levels drive workers’ opioid use after injuries

Toronto — Severe pain is “the main factor associated with opioid use after a work-related injury,” regardless of the employee’s return-to-work timeline, a recent study out of Canada suggests.

Researchers from the Institute for Work and Health analyzed data for nearly 1,800 workers in the Ontario Life After Work Injury Study. Participants were interviewed 18 months after sustaining an injury that resulted in an accepted workers’ compensation claim for lost time.

In addition to addressing questions related to their pain history, the participants were asked about the timing of their return to work and whether employers offered modified or alternative duties to ease the return-to-work process.

Findings show that 35.6% of the workers used opioids more than once in the past year. However, those who experienced severe post-injury pain were nearly three times more likely to use opioids than the participants who had mild or zero pain.

“This increased risk was found regardless of whether the injured workers felt they had to return to work too soon, or whether they were offered work accommodations upon their return,” IWH says.

The institute adds that the study “suggests the need for effective alternatives for pain management in the injured worker population.”

The study was published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.