Work is therapy, not a goal in itself, for people with chronic pain.

Abstract

Pain has long been seen as an obstacle for work and many people living with chronic pain feel stigmatised in the workplace (e.g., feeling that their pain is experienced as an excuse not to work or as a sign of weakness)3. Although musculoskeletal pain is the leading cause of sick leave in Europe with estimated costs of up-to 2% of the GDP4, putting people with pain on sick leave is against general recommendations6,11. In this commentary, we will introduce the work-as-therapy concept as a plausible rehabilitation method and explain how it can benefit patients and their employers.