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State of Vocational Rehabilitation and Disability Evaluation in Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Conditions

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Handbook of Vocational Rehabilitation and Disability Evaluation

Part of the book series: Handbooks in Health, Work, and Disability ((SHHDW))

Abstract

This chapter comprises two parts: part A on vocational rehabilitation and part B on disability evaluation. In both parts clinical and scientific perspectives are intertwined. Practical suggestions will be given based on the evidence provided.

The focus in this chapter is on working adults of working age, with chronic nonspecific musculoskeletal pain conditions (CMPCs) and work outcomes. Patients with acute conditions, lasting shorter than 6–12 weeks, are typically not referred to vocational rehabilitation or disability evaluation. “Nonspecific” refers to the exclusion of specific medical diagnoses for a musculoskeletal condition, such as infection, tumor, osteoporosis, ankylosing spondylitis, fracture, inflammatory process, radicular syndrome, or cauda equina syndrome. Work outcomes may be very diverse. It may refer to staying at work, modified work, temporarily or permanently working, returning to work (RTW), and a combination of these.

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Correspondence to Michiel F. Reneman .

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Reneman, M.F. (2015). State of Vocational Rehabilitation and Disability Evaluation in Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Conditions. In: Escorpizo, R., Brage, S., Homa, D., Stucki, G. (eds) Handbook of Vocational Rehabilitation and Disability Evaluation. Handbooks in Health, Work, and Disability. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08825-9_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08825-9_9

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