Occupational strain and post-retirement rehabilitation among older factory workers

Background Long-term factory work involves repetitive, physically demanding tasks that contribute to musculoskeletal degeneration in later life, particularly affecting the knee and cervical spine among ageing workers. Qualitative evidence on how retired industrial workers perceive occupational strain, arthritis progression and post-retirement rehabilitation remains limited. Objective To explore the lived experiences of retired factory workers with knee and neck arthritis, focusing on perceived occupational causation, functional limitations and access to post-retirement rehabilitation services. Methods A qualitative phenomenological design within an interpretivist framework was used. Sixteen retired factory workers aged 57–73 years with clinically diagnosed knee or neck arthritis were purposively sampled from factory panel clinics and community groups. Data were collected via in-depth semi-structured interviews, audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis informed by the COREQ checklist. Results Six themes were identified: life-long occupational strain, normalisation and under-reporting of early pain, daily functional limitations, emotional and psychosocial impacts, barriers to accessing post-retirement rehabilitation, and coping strategies including home-based remedies and family support. Participants consistently linked their arthritis to decades of repetitive, physically demanding work and described substantial mobility limitations, psychosocial distress and reduced independence in retirement, alongside limited awareness of and financial barriers to structured physiotherapy. Conclusions Cumulative occupational strain in factory work is associated with late-life musculoskeletal morbidity, functional decline and psychosocial distress among retired workers. Improving ergonomic prevention and ensuring accessible community-based rehabilitation and continuity between occupational health and community services may enhance quality of life for ageing industrial workers.