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The incidence of sciatic pain among 25-49 year-old men in three different types of work: machine operating, dynamic physical work (construction carpenters), and office work was assessed prospectively. Postal questionnaires both at the beginning and the end of the 3-year follow-up were answered by 1149 men who at baseline had no history of sciatic pain. The crude risk ratio of the incidence of sciatic pain was 1.6 (95% confidence interval 1.2-2.2) for the machine operators and 1.7 (1.3-2.4) for the carpenters when the office workers were referents. The adjusted risk ratios were 1.4 (1.0-1.9) and 1.5 (1.1-2.1), respectively. Previous history of severe lumbago or other low-back pain increased the risk fourfold. Frequent physical exercise and smoking were of borderline significance as predictors.

The frequency of sciatic pain, lumbago, and nonspecific low-back pain (LBP) and factors related to these symptoms were determined among men occupied in machine operating (541 longshoremen and 311 earthmover operators), dynamic physical work (696 carpenters), and sedentary work (674 municipal office workers). Sciatic pain was more common among machine operators and carpenters than among office workers, and also more frequent among machine operators than among carpenters. The occupational differences were considerably smaller with regard to lumbago and nonspecific LBP. In multivariate analysis, occupation, age, reported back accidents, and postural load showed significant independent effects on the occurrence of sciatic pain. Allowing for other risk indicators, the relative risk was 1.3 contrasting machine operators with both office workers and carpenters, but carpenters had no excess risk as compared with office workers.