Early Return to Work Has Benefits for Relief of Back Pain and Functional Recovery After Controlling for Multiple Confounds.

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect on health outcomes of an early or immediate return-to-work (RTW) after acute low back pain (LBP).

Methods: A longitudinal cohort of workers (N = 557) consulting for uncomplicated LBP were assessed on demographic, pain, occupational, and psychosocial variables. Pain and function were assessed at 3-month postpain onset.

Psychological Distress in Acute Low Back Pain: A Review of Measurement Scales and Levels of Distress Reported in the First 2 Months After Pain Onset.

Objective: To characterize the measurement scales and levels of psychological distress reported among published studies of acute low back pain (LBP) in the scientific literature.

Data Sources: Peer-reviewed scientific literature found in 8 citation index search engines (CINAHL, Embase, MANTIS, PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Science, AMED, and Academic Search Premier) for the period from January 1, 1966, to April 30, 2015, in English, Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish languages.

Study Selection: Cross-sectional, case-control, cohort, or randomized controlled trials assessing psychological distress and including participants drawn from patients and workers (or an identifiable subset) with acute LBP (<8wk).

The pain recovery inventory of concerns and expectations: a psychosocial screening instrument to identify intervention needs among patients at elevated risk of back disability.

Objective: To reduce a full psychosocial test battery to a brief screening questionnaire to triage return-to-work strategies among patients with low back pain (LBP).

Methods: Workers (N = 496) with acute, work-related LBP completed multiple psychosocial measures at intake, then a 3-month follow-up of pain, function, and work status. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to reduce the number of items while maintaining scale reliability, preserving associations with outcomes, and maintaining separation between patient subgroups.

What circumstances prompt a workplace discussion in medical evaluations for back pain?

Purpose: To determine how frequently workplace topics emerge in the interactions between patients and providers in an evaluation for low back pain (LBP) and to determine its association with patient and provider characteristics.

Methods: Adults with work-related LBP (N = 97; 64 % male; median age = 38) completed a demographic questionnaire and a survey of disability risk factors, then agreed to audio-taping of their visits with a participating occupational healthcare provider (n = 14). Utterance-level verbal exchanges were categorized by trained coders using the Roter interaction analysis system.

Further validation of the Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS) from recorded visits for back pain.

Objective: More patient-centered communication is associated with improved patient satisfaction and health status, fewer malpractice complaints, and increased adherence. In a study of medical encounters for acute low back pain (LBP), we conducted a secondary analysis to assess the validity of the Patient Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS), a measure of patient-centeredness.

Methods: Fourteen clinicians and 89 of their patients with acute LBP completed the PPOS and agreed to have verbal exchanges recorded and coded using the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS).

Distressed, immobilized, or lacking employer support? A sub-classification of acute work-related low back pain.

Introduction: One possibility for reducing the disabling effects of low back pain (LBP) is to identify subgroups of patients who might benefit from different disability prevention strategies. The aim of this study was to test the ability to discern meaningful patient clusters for early intervention based on self-reported concerns and expectations at the time of an initial medical evaluation.

Methods: Workers seeking an initial evaluation for acute, work-related LBP (N = 496; 58 % male) completed self-report measures comprising of 11 possible risk factors for chronicity of pain and disability.

Dynamic training of the lumbar musculature to prevent recurrence of acute low back pain: a randomized controlled trial using a daily pain recall for 1 year.

Purpose: The purpose of this experiment was to quantify lumbar muscle endurance training for individuals with a recent episode of acute low back pain (LBP) (≥ moderate pain for ≥ 2 days) and to observe whether the training would reduce the rate and severity of recurrent LBP episodes.

Method: Twenty-six participants who were pain-free at the time of the study were randomly divided into a high intensity back endurance (HIBE)-trained or a low intensity abdominal (LOAB)-trained (control) group. The HIBE-trained group performed preloaded maximum isokinetic exertions of the back extensors (five sets of 10 repetitions, 3 days a week for 4 weeks, totaling 12 sessions).

The effect of body mass index on recovery and return to work after onset of work-related low back pain.

Objective: To assess the effect of body mass index (BMI) on pain and function outcomes in the acute and subacute stages of work-related low back pain (LBP).

Methods: A prospective cohort of working-age patients (410 male, 197 female) with recent onset LBP (≤14 days' duration) provided height and weight as part of a study of prognostic factors for back disability. Self-reported pain, functional limitation, and work status were assessed at 1- and 3-month follow-ups.