Thus , WIs were seldom design ed to improve return-to-work .
Overall , there was low quality evidence that showed no significant differences between WIs and no intervention for pain prevalence or severity .
If present , significant results in favour of WIs were not sustained across follow-up times .
Overall , this review found low quality evidence that neither supported nor refuted the benefits of any specific WI for pain relief and moderate quality evidence that a multiple-component intervention reduced sickness absence in the intermediate-term , which was not sustained over time .
BACKGROUND Musculoskeletal disorders are the most common cause of disability in many industrial countries .
Recurrent and chronic pain accounts for a substantial portion of workers ' absenteeism .
Neck pain seems to be more prominent in the general population than previously known .
OBJECTIVES To determine the effectiveness of workplace interventions ( WIs ) in adult workers with neck pain .
The immediate and long-term effects of exercise and patient education on physical, functional, and quality-of-life outcome measures after single-level lumbar microdiscectomy: a randomized controlled trial protocol
Background Low back pain remains a costly quality -of-life-related health problem . Microdiscectomy is often the surgical procedure of choice for a symptomatic , single-level , lumbar disc herniation in younger and middle-aged adults . The question of whether a post-microdiscectomy exercise program enhances function , quality of life , and disability status has not been systematic ally explored . Thus , the overall purpose of this study is to assess immediate and long-term outcomes of an exercise program , developed at University of Southern California ( USC ) , targeting the trunk and lower extremities ( USC Spine Exercise Program ) for persons who have undergone a single-level microdiscectomy for the first time . Methods / design One hundred individuals between the ages of 18 and 60 who consent to undergo lumbar microdiscectomy will be recruited to participate in this study . Subjects will be r and omly assigned to one of two groups : 1 ) one session of back care education , or 2 ) a back care education session followed by the 12-week USC Spine Exercise Program . The outcome examiners ( evaluators ) , as well as the data managers , will be blinded to group allocation . Education will consist of a one-hour " one-on-one " session with the intervention therapist , guided by an educational booklet specifically design ed for post-microdiscectomy care . This session will occur four to six weeks after surgery . The USC Spine Exercise Program consists of two parts : back extensor strength and endurance , and mat and upright therapeutic exercises . This exercise program is goal -oriented , performance-based , and periodized . It will begin two to three days after the education session , and will occur three times a week for 12 weeks . Primary outcome measures include the Oswestry Disability Question naire , Rol and -Morris Disability Question naire , SF-36 ® quality of life assessment , Subjective Quality of Life Scale , 50-foot Walk , Repeated Sit-to-St and , and a modified Sorensen test . The outcome measures in the study will be assessed before and after the 12-week post-surgical intervention program . Long-term follow up assessment s will occur every six months beginning one year after surgery and ending five years after surgery . Immediate and long-term effects will be assessed using repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance ( MANOVA ) . If significant interactions are found , one-way ANOVAs will be performed followed by post-hoc testing to determine statistically significant pairwise comparisons . Discussion We have presented the rationale and design for a r and omized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of a treatment regimen  for people who have undergone a single-level lumbar microdiscectomy
Thus , WIs were seldom design ed to improve return-to-work .
Overall , there was low quality evidence that showed no significant differences between WIs and no intervention for pain prevalence or severity .
If present , significant results in favour of WIs were not sustained across follow-up times .
Overall , this review found low quality evidence that neither supported nor refuted the benefits of any specific WI for pain relief and moderate quality evidence that a multiple-component intervention reduced sickness absence in the intermediate-term , which was not sustained over time .
BACKGROUND Musculoskeletal disorders are the most common cause of disability in many industrial countries .
Recurrent and chronic pain accounts for a substantial portion of workers ' absenteeism .
Neck pain seems to be more prominent in the general population than previously known .
OBJECTIVES To determine the effectiveness of workplace interventions ( WIs ) in adult workers with neck pain .