Specific LBP , higher disability levels , older age , female gender , more social dysfunction and more social isolation , heavier work , and receiving higher compensation were identified as predictors for a longer duration of sick leave .
A history of LBP , job satisfaction , educational level , marital status , number of dependants , smoking , working more than 8 hour shifts , occupation , and size of industry or company do not influence duration of sick leave due to LBP .
Many different constructs were measured to identify psychosocial predictors of long term sick leave , which made it impossible to determine the role of these factors
BACKGROUND The percentages of patients with acute low back pain ( LBP ) that go on to a chronic state varies between studies from 2 % to 34 % .
In some of these cases low back pain leads to great costs .
AIMS To evaluate the evidence for prognostic factors for return to work among workers sick listed with acute LBP .
The Dominant Role of Psychosocial Risk Factors in the Development of Chronic Low Back Pain Disability
Study Design An inception cohort design was used in which 421 patients were evaluated systematic ally with a st and ard battery of psychosocial assessment tests ( Structured Interview for DSM-III-R Diagnosis , Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory , and Million Visual Pain Analog Scale ) within 6 weeks of acute back pain onset . Objectives The present study evaluated the predictive power of a comprehensive assessment of psychosocial and personality factors in identifying acute low back pain patients who subsequently develop chronic pain disability problems  ( as measured by job-work status at 1-year follow-up evaluation ) . Summary of Background Data There has been a relative paucity of prospect i ve research in the United States comprehensively evaluating potential psychoscial risk factors that are associated with those injured workers who subsequently fail to return to work and productivity after 1 year because of low back pain disability . Such research has been quite limited because of the time and cost involved in conducting prospect i ve studies . Methods All study patients were symptomatic with lumbar pain syndrome for no more than 6 weeks , These acute patients were tracked every 3 months , culminating in a structured telephone interview being conducted 1 year after the initial evaluation to document return-to-work status . Results Logistic regression analyses , conducted to differentiate between patients who were back at work after 1 year versus patients who were not because of the original back injury , revealed the importance of three psychosocial measures : self-reported pain and disability , scores on Scale 3 of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory , and workers ' compensation and personal injury insurance status . The model generated correctly classified 90.7 % of the cases . Results revealed that major psychopathology , such as depression and substance abuse , did not precede or cause the development of chronic pain disability . Conclusions These results show the presence of a robust “ psychosocial disability factor ” that is associated with those injured workers who are likely to develop chronic low back pain disability problems .  Based on these data , a statistical algorithm has been generated that can identify those acute patients who will require early intervention to prevent the development of chronic disability . The second major result is that preinjury or concomitant psychopathology does not appear to predispose patients to chronic pain disability , although high rates of psychopathology have been shown in chronic low back pain . Future research should be directed at emotional vulnerability and psychosocial events in the period after the injury that may lead to chronicity
Specific LBP , higher disability levels , older age , female gender , more social dysfunction and more social isolation , heavier work , and receiving higher compensation were identified as predictors for a longer duration of sick leave .
A history of LBP , job satisfaction , educational level , marital status , number of dependants , smoking , working more than 8 hour shifts , occupation , and size of industry or company do not influence duration of sick leave due to LBP .
Many different constructs were measured to identify psychosocial predictors of long term sick leave , which made it impossible to determine the role of these factors
BACKGROUND The percentages of patients with acute low back pain ( LBP ) that go on to a chronic state varies between studies from 2 % to 34 % .
In some of these cases low back pain leads to great costs .
AIMS To evaluate the evidence for prognostic factors for return to work among workers sick listed with acute LBP .