Intensity of Physical Therapy Services: Association with Work and Health Outcomes in Injured Workers with Back Pain in Washington State

Details

• Personal Author:
  Chin B ; Franklin GM ; Fulton-Kehoe D ; Rundell SD ; Sears JM ; Spector JT
• Description:
  Background: Associations between the intensity of physical therapy (PT) treatments and health outcomes among individuals with back pain have been examined in the general population; however, few studies have explored these associations in injured workers. Our study objective was to examine whether intensity of PT treatments is positively associated with work and health outcomes in injured workers with back pain. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of prospective data collected from the Washington State Workers' Compensation (WC) Disability Risk Identification Study Cohort (D-RISC). D-RISC combined survey results with WC data from the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries. Workers with a State Fund WC claim for back injuries between June 2002 and April 2004 and who received PT services within the first year of injury were eligible. Intensity of PT treatment was measured as the type and amount of PT services within 28 days from the first PT visit. Outcome measures included work disability and self-reported measures for working for pay, pain intensity, and functional status at 1-year follow-up. We conducted linear and logistic regression models to test associations. Results: We identified 662 eligible workers. In adjusted models, although the intensity of PT treatment was not significantly associated with work disability at 1-year follow-up, it was associated with lower odds of working for pay, decreased pain intensity, and improved functional status. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that there may be small benefits from receiving active PT, manual therapy, and frequent PT treatments within 28 days of initiating PT care. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Cohort Studies Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety Surveys And Questionnaires
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Back Pain Back Injuries Back Pain Cohort Studies Disabled Workers Functional Status Health Surveys Physical Therapy Return To Work Work Capability Workers' Compensation Workers Compensation

  More +
• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  94-106
• Volume:
  66
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066368
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2023 Jan; 66(1):94-106
• Contact Point Address:
  Brian Chin, PhC, MSPH, Center for Workers' Compensation Studies, Division of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1090 Tusculum Ave, MS R-14, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA
• Email:
  olj9@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:81bd2a6eaebc9f96563bae50d1e415c3f56e23e0c70e44467bf578452eb2baf1721f1de7279982557fa6079718937fcacd6532cb86e8da4a54440f7922d25bf8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/212832/cdc_212832_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 939.58 KB ]