Perceptions of possibilities of returning to work with chronic musculoskeletal disorders

Chronic musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are the most common cause of work disability in the western world. Return to work (RTW) with chronic MSD is a complex process dependent on individual and social factors, including individual perceptions of the process. No studies have addressed RTW in the Slovenian context of high job protection legislation. This study was aimed at understanding how Slovenian employees with MSD made sense of their experiences with work and life before and after the occurrence of MSD, giving meaning to their perceptions of the possibility to return to work. Data were collected through narrative interviews with six Slovenian employees with chronic MSD and analyzed with a paradigmatic approach. The participants described their experiences in a narrative of a transition from a life of stability and fulfillment to a life of suspense about their future. The work environment as well as health and disability systems were experienced as the most decisive in the development of those perceptions. The participants linked those experiences, more than the MSD itself, to their feelings of hope, doubt and fear about their possibilities of returning to work. The study shows how narratives about life and work can give meaning to individual perceptions of RTW process in a specific social and work context.