Abstract
Review of the literature shows significant variation in the rates of recovery from an episode of low back pain (LBP). Two hundred and seven workers filing a “First Report of Injury” form with the Vermont Department of Labor and Industry were contacted 3 months post-injury to determine time until first return-to-work, work status, lost workdays, and factors such as pain intensity and satisfaction with health care. Overall, 69.4% of the workers had first returned to work within 1 week, 85.9% within 1 month, and 93.7% by 3 months. Three months post-injury, 8.7% of these workers were not working (disabled) due to their LBP. On a scale of 0–10, the disabled reported substantially more pain in the past few days (p=.0001) and a higher level of “worst pain since injury” (p=.004). Those disabled were less likely to feel they had received the right treatment for their LBP (p=.05). Researchers and clinicians need a clear understanding of recovery curves to assess the effectiveness of any interventions.
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Reid, S., Haugh, L.D., Hazard, R.G. et al. Occupational low back pain: Recovery curves and factors associated with disability. J Occup Rehab 7, 1–14 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02765872
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02765872