Know that change in behavior at any level only takes place when there is a shift in the perception of need. Changing behavior is not easy. The practitioner must, as everyone else must, place a high value on affecting behavioral changes. Too often the purpose of light duty work is to maintain productivity by keeping the person working while the injury heals. The purpose of transitional work is to maximize capabilities by making sure as much of the body is used in a fashion that closely resembles the normal work performed by the injured employee.
Transitional work is work hardening performed within the industry.
Again, if we bring sports medicine concepts into the industrial arena, you will notice that in professional sports every effort is made to keep the athlete in the best possible condition while the injury heals. No football player stops all weight lifting, etc., while the knee heals. The athlete is not assigned a desk job for six weeks while the knee is rehabilitated and then plays the entire four quarters of the first game after the rehabilitation is completed. Never lose focus that after the knee is ready to play, the rest of the body must also be ready. The football player does not focus on swimming for six weeks to rehabilitate the knee, but a swimmer would.