Living with spine-related pain in a changing society - a qualitative study

Purpose: To elucidate life lived with recurrent, spine-related pain and to explore the development from work to disability pension. Method: A qualitative design at individual level was chosen. Nineteen peopl e - five on disability pension, four physicians and ten rehabilitation offi cials - were interviewed. Data were analysed using grounded theory. Results: A process of 'coming to terms with pain' with four phases was iden tified. During the phases pain had a deteriorating course and was combined with other medical problems. Together with changes on the labour market the se factors caused the persons to leave their employment and also hindered r eorientation on the labour market. Committed as they were to social norms, the persons found adjustment to a place outside the labour market difficult . Conclusions: Our findings suggest how recurrent back and neck pain can deve lop, interact with medical, individual, work-related and structural factors and result in incapacity to work. To avoid this incapacity pain has to be followed and the other factors considered in the design and timing of rehab ilitation.