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Obstacles to and Facilitators of Return to Work After Work-Disabling Back Pain: The Workers’ Perspective

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Abstract

Introduction Back pain entails considerable costs, particularly because many injured workers are absent from work for long periods. Factors that influence return to work among workers with back pain are still, however, not well understood. This qualitative study aimed at documenting affected workers’ perspective on the: 1—difficulties caused by back pain, and 2—most important obstacles to and facilitators of return to work. Methods Two focus groups composed of workers having suffered from work-disabling back pain were held: a group of participants who had returned to work (n = 9) and a group of participants who had not returned or had recently returned to work (n = 10). The verbatim accounts of the discussions were transcribed and a content analysis was carried out that included a ranking of items. Results Difficulties caused by back pain were related to: (1) personal, (2) family, (3) social, (4) occupational, and (5) financial factors, and (6) health services. Obstacles to and facilitators of return to work were of 4 different types: (1) occupational factors, (2) factors associated with the utilization of health services, (3) clinical, and (4) personal factors. Persistent pain, lack of access to information or support groups, and lack of collaboration and understanding from employer were the most important obstacles identified, whereas knowledge of one’s limits and physical training were perceived to be the most important facilitators of return to work, ahead of work-related factors. Differences between groups’ perceptions were attributed mainly to control beliefs. Conclusions Personal, clinical, occupational and health services factors are perceived by workers with back pain to play a crucial role in determining whether they return to work or not.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a grant (#97-061) from the Quebec Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail du Québec—IRSST), which did not interfere in the scientific and publication processes. CE Dionne and R Bourbonnais were Quebec Health Research Fund (FRSQ) Scholars at the time of this study. The authors thank all the participants to this study and the following persons for their collaboration: Raymond Baril, PhD, Éric Demers, MSc, Isabelle Larocque, MSc, Arie Nouwen, PhD, Sylvie Pelletier, MPs, Gilles Roy (SOM inc.) and Julie Soucy, PhD.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. URESP, Centre de recherche FRQS du Centre hospitalier universitaire (CHU) de Québec, Hôpital du Saint-Sacrement, 1050, chemin Ste-Foy, Quebec City, QC, G1S 4L8, Canada

    Clermont E. Dionne & Ève Laperrière

  2. Department of Rehabilitation, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada

    Clermont E. Dionne, Renée Bourbonnais & Pierre Frémont

  3. Centre de santé et de services sociaux de la Vieille Capitale (CSSS-VC), Quebec City, QC, Canada

    Renée Bourbonnais & Pierre Frémont

  4. Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Michel Rossignol

  5. Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Michel Rossignol & Susan R. Stock

  6. Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Susan R. Stock

Authors
  1. Clermont E. Dionne
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  2. Renée Bourbonnais
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  3. Pierre Frémont
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  4. Michel Rossignol
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  5. Susan R. Stock
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  6. Ève Laperrière
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Correspondence to Clermont E. Dionne.

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English Translation of the Text from the French Newspaper Advertisement

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Dionne, C.E., Bourbonnais, R., Frémont, P. et al. Obstacles to and Facilitators of Return to Work After Work-Disabling Back Pain: The Workers’ Perspective. J Occup Rehabil 23, 280–289 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-012-9399-4

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