Table 1.

Description of included studies

	Author and year of publication	Country	Type of pain	Number, gender and age of participants	Participants	Methods of data collection	Methodological approach—analysis
1	Ahlstrom et al,12 2017	Sweden	Neck pain.	16 women, mean age of 54.	People with history of long-term sick leave in human service organisations.	Interviews.	Constructivist grounded theory approach.
2	Andersen et al,42 2014	Denmark	Back or upper body.	4 men and 3 women aged 33–57.	Participants in chronic pain self-management programme or tailored physical activity programme.	Semistructured interviews.	Systematic text condensation—thematic cross-case analysis.
3	Angel et al,53 2012	Denmark	Low back pain.	20 (65% women), mean age of 46.	Participants of counselling intervention addressing workplace barriers and physical activity.	Semistructured clinical interviews.	Narrative analysis.
4	Ashby et al,58 2010	Australia	Chronic low back pain.	11 men aged 23–59.	Participants in a work hardening programme.	Semistructured interviews (ethnographic).	Thematic content analysis.
5	Brooks et al,48 2013	England	Persistent, non-specific low back pain of at least 12 weeks in duration.	6 women and 3 men. Working participants (5) aged 45–52 (mean 49.2). Unemployed participants (4) aged 51–63 (mean 57) and their significant others.	Participants from hospital pain management clinic.	Semistructured interviews.	Template analysis style of thematic analysis.
6	Buus et al,59 2015	Denmark	Low back pain.	25 (56% women) (mean age 46.8).	People who had received counselling intervention designed to motivate them to change work routines and exercise.	Semistructured interviews.	Interpretative thematic analysis.
7	Coole et al,45 2010	UK	Low back pain.	13 women and 12 men aged 22–58 years (mean age 44.7).	People offered MDT back pain rehabilitation and concerned about ability to work due to low back pain.	Semistructured interviews.	Thematic analysis.
8	Coutu et al,37 2010	Canada	Persistent musculoskeletal pain—back pain (10), upper extremities (4), mixed (2).	10 men and 6 women aged 25–56 (mean age 40).	Workers referred to work rehab programme.	Semistructured interviews.	Narrative approach—content analysis.
9	Coutu et al,60 2011	Canada	MSD-related pain for more than 12 weeks accepted and compensated by Quebec Workers’ Compensation Board. Back pain (10), upper extremities (4), mixed (2).	16 workers: 10 men, 6 women, aged 25–56 years (mean age 40).	Referred to evidence-based work rehab programme by a third-party payer.	Semistructured interviews.	Content analysis.
10	Coutu et al,61 2013	Canada	MSD-related pain for more than 12 weeks accepted and compensated by Quebec Workers’ Compensation Board. Back pain (8), upper extremities (2), both (2).	12 workers (8 men and 4 women) aged 25–56 (mean age 31) and 5 clinicians.	Participants from workers starting a work rehab programme at a hospital research centre.	Multiple case study design: semistructured interviews with workers and rehab clinicians at four points in time.	Thematic analysis and constant comparison method (grounded theory).
11	Crooks,43 2007	Canada	MSD (fibromyalgia, arthritis, RA, OA, lupus).	18 women aged 26–69 (mean age 44).	Women who developed MSD while involved in the labour market.	Indepth interviews.	Thematic analysis.
12	Dionne et al,50 2013	Canada	Work-disabling back pain.	Workers with work-disabling back pain. 9=returned to work (7 men, 2 women) aged 30–59. 10=not returned or recently returned (7 men, 2 women) aged 30–60+.	Recruited through newspaper adverts.	Focus groups (2).	Content analysis.
13	Edén et al,52 2007	Sweden	MSD (type not specified).	17 individuals (2 men, 15 women) aged 41–62 years.	People going back to work by means of the Swedish ‘resting disability pension’.	Interviews.	Inductive analysis relevant to research question.
14*	Fassier et al,38 2015	France	Low back pain.	3 employers, 1 manager and 1 worker.	Recruited from workplaces with high rates of absence for low back pain—car maker, association providing home services for the dependent and two university hospitals.	Interviews and focus groups.	Qualitative content analysis.
15	Gard and Sandberg,40 1998	Sweden	Musculoskeletal pain (shoulder, neck and low back pain) for at least 1 year with a period of at least 4 weeks during that time.	10 patients (9 women, 1 man) aged 30–54 years (mean age 47).	People sick-listed with musculoskeletal pain.	Interviews with a low degree of structure.	Phenomenological structural analysis.
16	Glavare et al,54 2012	Sweden	Long-term musculoskeletal pain (whiplash, fibromyalgia, nerve injury (neck), arthrosis of the foot).	11 (8 women and 3 men) aged 22–58 (median age 39).	Participants in a multiprofessional pain rehab programme followed by a coached work-training programme.	Thematised research interviews.	Grounded theory—constant comparative method.
17*	Grataloup et al,47 2016	France	Supervisors of people with musculoskeletal disorders.	Employees’ supervisors (61 charge nurses, and head nurses supervising one or more workers with restrictions for heavy lifting or repetitive movements).	Staff from 3 public hospitals.	12 focus groups (charge nurses and head nurses separate).	Thematic qualitative analysis by constant comparison, each focus group analysed before the next held.
18	Hansson et al,30 2001	Sweden	Spine-related pain.	5 people (4 women and 1 man) aged 51–64 (median 55).	People granted disability pension in 1996.	Interviews conducted as conversations—approach based on symbolic interactionism.	Based on grounded theory.
19	Hansson et al,34 2006	Sweden	Neck or low back pain (spine-related pain).	33 (20 women and 13 men) aged 32–61 years (median age 48).	Sick-listed participants.	Qualitative interviews.	Qualitative analysis.
20	Johansson et al,62 1997	Sweden	Undefined musculoskeletal pain disorders.	20 female patients aged 21–61.	Women sick-listed due to MSD in urban health centre.	Repeated thematic interviews.	Grounded theory.
21	Juuso et al,27 2016	Sweden	Fibromyalgia.	15 women aged 38–64 (median 54).	From a rehabilitation centre (4), associations for rheumatism and FM (11).	Indepth qualitative interviews.	Hermeneutic approach.
22	Kalsi et al,31 2016	UK	Chronic pain (type not specified).	17 patients (8 men, 9 women) aged 18–65+, but majority (14/17) were 18–34.	Patients attending a 3-week, high-intensity pain management programme.	Semistructured focus group discussion.	Thematic analysis.
23	Kvam et al,63 2013	Norway	Prolonged musculoskeletal pain (unspecified pain in the back, neck and shoulders due to fibromyalgia, arthritis and rheumatism).	4 men and 6 women aged 26–57.	Volunteers from people undergoing vocational rehabilitation.	Semistructured interviews.	Constant comparative analysis.
24	Kvam and Vik,51 2015	Norway	Prolonged musculoskeletal pain (unspecified pain in the back, neck and shoulders due to fibromyalgia, arthritis and rheumatism).	6 women, 4 men aged 26–57.	People undergoing vocational rehabilitation.	Indepth interviews.	Discourse analysis.
25	Liedberg and Henriksson,36 2002	Sweden	Fibromyalgia.	39 women aged 35–63 (mean 49.5).	Patients from a pain and rehab centre.	Interviews.	Analysed into categories and subcategories.
26	Magnussen et al,64 2007	Norway	Back pain.	12 women, 5 men aged 38–56 years (mean age 49).	Part of a larger study evaluating the effect of a vocational rehabilitation-related intervention.	Three focus groups.	Analysis of themes and subthemes.
27	McCluskey et al,65 2011	UK	Persistent back pain.	5 dyads (4 male and 1 female claimants), aged 29–54 years (mean age 40.2).	Disability claimants and their significant others.	Semistructured interviews.	Template analysis.
28	McCluskey et al,66 2014	UK	Persistent low back pain.	18 (9 benefits claimants: 5 men and 4 women aged 29–63, mean age 48.1) and 9 significant others (6 women and 3 men aged 21–68, mean age 49.7).	Work disability benefits claimants and significant others.	Semistructured interviews.	Template analysis.
29	Nilsen and Anderssen,28 2014	Norway	Non-malignant chronic pain (neck and back pain, traffic injuries).	10 men and 10 women aged 26–63 (in the year 2006), mean age 42.7.	From a specialist pain clinic.	Open-ended interviews.	Narrative analysis. Phenomenological meaning condensation framework.
30	Nordqvist et al,49 2003	Sweden	Back, neck or shoulder diagnoses.	13 women and 5 men.	People who in 1985 were 25–34 years old and had a new sick leave spell of at least 28 days.	5 focus groups.	Grounded theory coding and categorising.
31	Patel et al,13 2007	UK	Chronic musculoskeletal pain.	38 patients (15 men, 23 women) aged 29–62 years (mean age 49.4).	Unemployed and in receipt of long-term social welfare benefits.	Indepth, semistructured interviews.	Framework approach and thematic analysis.
32	Rydstad et al,32 2010	Sweden	Whiplash-associated disorders.	9 people (5 women, 4 men) aged 32–53 years.	Participants of a work-oriented MDT rehab programme.	Thematised interviews.	Constant comparison method—grounded theory.
33	Saunders et al,67 2015	Canada	MSK injury. Arm (1), knee (1), back injuries (7).	9 people (5 women, 4 men) aged 34–56 years.	People with long-term work disability and job loss due to an MSK injury from work rehab and chronic pain programmes.	Interviews (27) with 9 people.	Thematic analysis (phenomenological approach guided by life world concept).
34	Scheermesser et al,68 2012	Switzerland	Low back pain.	13 (9 men, 4 women) aged 38–60 years (mean age of men 52, mean age of women 48).	Patients with a Southeast European cultural background attending a rehab centre in Switzerland.	Indepth, semistructured interviews (5) and 2 focus groups.	Qualitative content analysis.
35	Shaw and Huang,33 2005	USA	Occupational low back pain.	Focus group: 28 people (15 men, 13 women) aged 31–65 (mean age 46). Interviewees: 23 people (11 men, 12 women) aged 25–64 (mean age 42.6).	Focus group participants: people recently (<6 months) returned to work after injury responding to newspaper advert. Interview participants: patients referred by physios from collaborating OH network.	Focus group and interviews.	Content analysis.
36	Sjöström et al,29 2011	Sweden	MSK disorders— mainly back and neck pain.	10 people (7 women, 3 men) aged 29–61 (mean age 48).	Attended a rehab programme and still on full-time sick leave 2 years after completion.	Semistructured interviews.	Qualitative content analysis.
37	Soeker et al,44 2008	South Africa	Back injury.	26 people (18 men, 8 women) aged 18–60.	Selected by random sampling from a hospital rehab department.	Focus groups.	Qualitative analysis.
38*	Soklaridis et al,41 2010	Canada	Low back pain—work-related injury.	59 stakeholders including 6 injured workers and 5 small and 9 large employers.	Various contacts of the research team.	9 focus groups.	Grounded theory approach.
39	Svensson et al,39 2010	Sweden	Back neck or shoulder diagnosis.	13 women and 5 men.	People aged 25–34 years old in 1985 and had a new sick leave spell of at least 28 days.	5 focus groups.	Descriptive and explorative method of analysis.
40*	Williams-Whitt et al,46 2016	Canada	Low back pain.	23 supervisors.	Supervisors of back-injured workers from 11 Canadian organisations.	Semistructured, indepth interviews.	Constructivist grounded theory principles.
41*	Wynne-Jones et al,35 2011	Wales	Musculoskeletal pain.	18 employees with MSK pain (8 men, 10 women), mean age 49.7. 20 managers (10 men, 10 women), mean age 44.8.	Two large public sector organisations.	Semistructured interviews.	Thematic analysis.

*Employer studies.

FM, fibromyalgia; MDT, multi-disciplinary; MSD, musculoskeletal disorders; MSK, musculoskeletal; OA, osteoarthritis; OH, occupational health; RA, rheumatoid arthritis.