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 .
Treatment- and Cost-Effectiveness of Early Intervention for Acute Low-Back Pain Patients: A One-Year Prospective Study
In an attempt to prevent acute low-back pain from becoming a chronic disability problem , an earlier study developed a statistical algorithm which accurately identified those acute low-back pain patients who were at high risk for developing such chronicity . The major goal of the present study was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of employing an early intervention program with these high-risk patients in order to prevent the development of chronic disability at a 1-year follow-up . Approximately 700 acute low-back pain patients were screened for their high-risk versus low-risk status . On the basis of this screening , high-risk patients were then r and omly assigned to one of two groups : a functional restoration early intervention group ( n = 22 ) , or a nonintervention group ( n = 48 ) . A group of low-risk subjects ( n = 54 ) who did not receive any early intervention  was also evaluated . All these subjects were prospect ively tracked at 3-month intervals starting from the date of their initial evaluation , culminating in a 12-month follow-up . During these follow-up evaluations , pain disability and socioeconomic outcomes ( such as return-to-work and healthcare utilization ) were assessed . Results clearly indicated that the high-risk subjects who received early intervention displayed statistically significant fewer indices of chronic pain disability on a wide range of work , healthcare utilization , medication use , and self-report pain variables , relative to the high-risk subjects who do not receive such early intervention . In addition , the high-risk nonintervention group displayed significantly more symptoms of chronic pain disability on these variables relative to the initially low-risk subjects . Cost-comparison savings data were also evaluated . These data revealed that there were greater cost savings associated with the early intervention group versus the no early intervention group . The overall results of this study clearly demonstrate the treatment- and cost-effectiveness of an early intervention program for acute low-back pain patients
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 .