The following factors were found to have consistent , but limited , support as regards their influence on the risk for sick leave due to back and neck disorders : ( a ) heavy physical workload , bent or twisted working position , and low work satisfaction increases the risk for short-term and long-term sick leave ; ( b ) specific back diagnoses and previous sick leave due to back disorders increases the risk for short-term and long-term sick leave ; ( c ) female gender , smoking , exposure to vibration , and deficient social support were not found to significantly increase the risk for short-term and long-term sick leave ; ( d ) self-reported pain and functional impairments were associated with a high risk for long-term sick leave ; ( e ) longer employment periods reduced the risk for short-term sick leave ; ( f ) perceived dem and s at work did not influence short-term sick leave ; ( g ) female gender and higher age increases the risk for disability pension
A prospective, randomized 5-year follow-up study of functional restoration in chronic low back pain patients
Abstract A functional restoration ( FR ) program , dealing with a combination of intensive physical and ergonomic training , psychological pain management , and patient education , was tested in two r and omized , parallel group studies . In one of these patients following the FR program were compared with a non-treated control group ( project A ) , and in the other with patients on two less intensive treatment programs ( project B ) . A total of 238 chronic low back pain patients participated in the two studies , 106 entering project A and 132 project B. Patients from the two projects were comparable except that the patients in project A were recruited from all over the country , whereas patients in project B all were living in and around Copenhagen . Thirteen patients never started any treatment , and 20 patients ( 9 % ) dropped out during the treatment period . Of the 207 who completed treatment , 89 % returned a mailed question naire 5 years later . This was the case for 55 % of the drop-outs . The questions referred to work situation , pain level , activities of daily living , days of sick leave , contact with health care professionals , physical activity , use of medication , and a subjective overall assessment . The results show that in project A the treated group reported significantly fewer contacts with the health care system and significantly fewer days of sick leave over the 5-year follow-up period compared to the control group . In all other parameters , including work ability , there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups . In project B , patients treated in the FR program did significantly better in most measured parameters , except in leg pain , use of pain medication and sport activity , where no significant differences were found between groups . The overall result shows a positive long-term effect of the FR program , but it also shows the necessity of testing a given treatment in different projects and design s , among other things due to statistical variations
The following factors were found to have consistent , but limited , support as regards their influence on the risk for sick leave due to back and neck disorders : ( a ) heavy physical workload , bent or twisted working position , and low work satisfaction increases the risk for short-term and long-term sick leave ; ( b ) specific back diagnoses and previous sick leave due to back disorders increases the risk for short-term and long-term sick leave ; ( c ) female gender , smoking , exposure to vibration , and deficient social support were not found to significantly increase the risk for short-term and long-term sick leave ; ( d ) self-reported pain and functional impairments were associated with a high risk for long-term sick leave ; ( e ) longer employment periods reduced the risk for short-term sick leave ; ( f ) perceived dem and s at work did not influence short-term sick leave ; ( g ) female gender and higher age increases the risk for disability pension