Occupational low back pain: Recovery curves and factors associated with disability

Review of the literature shows significant variation in the rates of recovery from an episode of low back pain (LBP). Two hundred and seven workers filing a “First Report of Injury” form with the Vermont Department of Labor and Industry were contacted 3 months post-injury to determine time until first return-to-work, work status, lost workdays, and factors such as pain intensity and satisfaction with health care. Overall, 69.4% of the workers had first returned to work within 1 week, 85.9% within 1 month, and 93.7% by 3 months. Three months post-injury, 8.7% of these workers were not working (disabled) due to their LBP. On a scale of 0–10, the disabled reported substantially more pain in the past few days (p=.0001) and a higher level of “worst pain since injury” (p=.004). Those disabled were less likely to feel they had received the right treatment for their LBP (p=.05). Researchers and clinicians need a clear understanding of recovery curves to assess the effectiveness of any interventions.