Objective The Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health (SJWEH) was established half a century ago. This paper provides an overview of research on musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) published over these 50 years. Three themes are described: risk assessment, interventions to prevent work-related MSD, and interventions to support work participation. Finally, implications for future research are highlighted.

Methods A systematic literature search was performed for all papers on MSD published in SJWEH. Each paper was coded on several criteria including research topic, type of MSD, risk factor(s), and number of citations. Findings were tabulated, and discussions within the author team defined the main results and future research directions.

Results The search resulted in 1056 papers, of which 474 were included. The most reported-on MSD was low-back pain (LBP, 18%) and the most reported-on work-related risk factors were physically demanding work (14%) and psychosocial factors (12%). Research has contributed to improving case definitions, refining work-related exposure criteria, and recognizing the varying importance of physical and psychosocial factors across different MSD. Research on the association between work-related risk factors and LBP continues to emerge. Effective interventions for prevention of MSD are characterised by sufficient exposure reduction, while supporting work participation requires integrating health care, with multidisciplinary actions directed at factors involving the worker, employer, and workplace.

Conclusion Research has provided valuable insights into risk assessment, interventions for preventing work-related MSD, and supporting work participation. Intervention studies remain warranted and new areas include adopting whole-system approaches to prevent work-related MSD and promoting the concept of musculoskeletal health.

This article refers to the following texts of the Journal: 2024;50(5):329-340  2024;50(3):197-207  2024;50(1):3-10  2024;50(1):11-21  2023;49(7):487-495  2023;49(7):453-465  2022;48(8):651-661  1996;22(4):251-259  1997;23(4):243-256  1999;25(5):387-403  2000;26(1):7-19  2001;27(2):125-132  2001;27 suppl 1:1-102  2002;28(3):176-183  2003;29(6):431-440  2004;30(3):234-240  2006;32(4):257-269  2008;34(1):55-65  2008;34(3):179-188  1994;20(6):417-426  1994;20(2):139-145  1993;19(5):297-312  1993;19(4):284-290  1993;19(3):208-214  1993;19(2):73-84  1993;19(2):126-131  1993;19(1):50-54  1992;18(6):361-367  1991;17(6):392-397  1991;17(2):81-90  1987;13(4):301-304  1986;12(4):313-319  1986;12(4):272-276  1985;11(6):457-466  1982;8(4):294-299  1979;5 suppl 3:15-18  1979;5 suppl 3:39-47  1978;4(3):246-254  1975;1(2):109-116  1975;1(1):40-44  2010;36(1):25-33  2010;36(3):189-201  2011;37(2):120-128  2011;37(5):383-393  2013;39(5):495-505  2014;40(3):244-251  2015;41(2):153-163  1982;8 suppl 2:1-60  2016;42(1):43-51  2016;42(4):280-290  2016;42(6):510-519  2017;43(3):269-278  2017;43(6):526-539  2018;44(1):25-36  2019;45(1):90-97  2020;46(2):152-160  2021;47(4):306-317  2021;47(5):367-376  2022;48(6):490-497

Key terms intervention; musculoskeletal disease; musculoskeletal disorder; occupational exposure; occupational exposure; risk assessment; work participation

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