[Occupational injuries assessed in a physico-medical practice]

In Norway over the last decade, we have seen an increase in disability claims based on occupational injury. Though much is known about the injury events, so far there have been few Norwegian studies of the relationship between work-related injuries and their somatic and functional consequences.

Over the period 1994 - 2002, 503 individuals who had filed claims for work-related musculoskeletal injuries were examined with special emphasis on the clinical consequences of the injury. The median interval between accident and examination was three years. Injury severity was scored using the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS).

Falls were the most frequent type of accident; contusions, sprains and strains the most frequent injuries sustained. Many accidents were poorly documented. 16 % of the injuries were found to exceed an AIS score of 1. 30 % were working full time, while around two thirds were receiving incapacity benefits. There was no association between disability and AIS score.

In spite of the low overall level of injury severity, there was a high rate of disability subsequent to the accidents. Our results seem to indicate that injury severity is only one of several factors related to outcome after work-related injuries.