Work-related Recovery Expectations and the Prognosis of Chronic Low Back Pain Within a Workers' Compensation Setting

Overview

Journal J Occup Environ Med

Specialty Environmental Health

Date 2005 Apr 13

PMID 15824635

Citations 24

Authors

Douglas P Gross

Michele C Battie

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: We examined the association between work-related recovery expectations and return-to-work in patients with chronic back pain.

Methods: A prospective cohort of workers receiving time-loss benefits for back pain of at least 6 weeks' duration was studied. Workers completed a battery of measures, including a work-related recovery expectations questionnaire. Outcomes included surrogate indicators of timely return-to-work (days until suspension of time-loss benefits) and recovery (claim closure) censored at 1 year. Analysis included multivariable Cox and logistic regression.

Results: The sample was predominantly male (63%), with a mean age of 42 years. Positive work-related recovery expectations predicted a 26% faster suspension of time-loss benefits (95% confidence interval = 8-40%) and explained 7% of the variation in this outcome.

Conclusion: Recovery expectations provide important information for predicting time to return-to-work, as measured through suspension of time-loss benefits (R approximately 7%) in patients with chronic back pain.

Citing Articles

Systematic review and tools appraisal of prognostic factors of return to work in workers on sick leave due to musculoskeletal and common mental disorders.

Villotti P, Kordsmeyer A, Roy J, Corbiere M, Negrini A, Lariviere C PLoS One. 2024; 19(7):e0307284.

PMID: 39018306 PMC: 11253986. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0307284.

Differential underestimation of work-related reinjury risk for older workers: Challenges to producing accurate rate estimates.

Sears J, Fulton-Kehoe D, Hogg-Johnson S Am J Ind Med. 2022; 65(8):627-643.

PMID: 35665525 PMC: 9354702. DOI: 10.1002/ajim.23403.

A Systematic Search and Review of Questionnaires Measuring Individual psychosocial Factors Predicting Return to Work After Musculoskeletal and Common Mental Disorders.

Gragnano A, Villotti P, Lariviere C, Negrini A, Corbiere M J Occup Rehabil. 2020; 31(3):491-511.

PMID: 33355911 PMC: 8298352. DOI: 10.1007/s10926-020-09935-6.

Estimating time to reinjury among Washington State injured workers by degree of permanent impairment: Using state wage data to adjust for time at risk.

Sears J, Schulman B, Fulton-Kehoe D, Hogg-Johnson S Am J Ind Med. 2020; 64(1):13-25.

PMID: 33210293 PMC: 7768893. DOI: 10.1002/ajim.23200.

Individual recovery expectations and prognosis of outcomes in non-specific low back pain: prognostic factor review.

Hayden J, Wilson M, Riley R, Iles R, Pincus T, Ogilvie R Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019; 2019(11).

PMID: 31765487 PMC: 6877336. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD011284.pub2.