Each year 25,000 people leave the labour market for good because of illnesses related to work. Back pain alone is cited by 15 per cent of jobless people as a reason for not working. It also has the potential to treat work-related health problems effectively. The aim of vocational rehabilitation is to maximise the ability of an individual to return to meaningful employment. Ongoing physiotherapy research is challenging the assumption that back pain sufferers will never recover enough to get back to work.
Studies show vocational rehabilitation can be effective in reducing pain and disability.
It can also help in returning long-term unemployed back pain sufferers to work. The CSP is calling on employers and the Government to recognise fully the value of workplace physiotherapy in the fight against work-related ill health. Prompt and equitable access for all is essential. Chartered physiotherapists are perfectly positioned to lead the way in providing comprehensive vocational rehabilitation services in both employment and healthcare settings . A growing number of highly experienced physiotherapists are now working at the frontline of healthcare.