Exercise and workforce wellbeing: A workplace pilot study among healthcare professionals with and without chronic pain

Mental health and chronic pain are interrelated occupational health hazards. However, it remains unclear whether chronic pain modifies the psychological effects of exercise on occupational stress. This study compared the impact of exercise on job stress between healthcare professionals with chronic pain (CP) and those without pain (NP), and examined related psychological factors. Hospital employees without regular exercise habits participated in a 12-week workplace program (20 min, twice weekly) combining aerobic, resistance, and stretching exercises. Bayesian generalized linear mixed models were used, with CP (n = 12) and NP (n = 9) status as a factor; pain catastrophizing, depression, and anxiety were sequentially added to assess their contribution. At 12 wk, participants with chronic pain showed attenuated reductions in psychological job stress compared with those without pain, with a posterior probability of 0.99 indicating credible group differences. Subsequent analyses revealed that maladaptive cognitive–emotional factors—particularly magnification, rumination, and anxiety—were positively associated with job stress, whereas helplessness showed no consistent effect. These findings suggest that integrating psychological support with exercise interventions may enhance their effectiveness among workers with chronic pain.