Workers' Compensation patients after total joint arthroplasty: do they return to work?

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Patients receiving Workers' Compensation (WC) are often perceived by clinicians as having a reduced likelihood of benefiting from total joint arthroplasty (TJA).
• Concerns exist regarding the potential for decreased return to work capabilities in this patient population post-TJA.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the return to work status and timeframes for patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty (TJA) while receiving Workers' Compensation (WC).
• To identify factors influencing return to work, such as primary versus revision arthroplasty and type of employment.

Main Methods:

• A follow-up study was conducted on 164 patients who underwent 177 arthroplasties between 2000 and 2009 while receiving WC.
• Data collected included work status, nature of work (manual laborer vs. sedentary), and time to return to work.

Main Results:

• The return to work rate was 70.2% for primary TJA versus 43.9% for revision TJA (p=0.002).
• The average time to return to work after primary TJA was 16.4 weeks.
• Manual laborers returned to work at a rate of 67.1%, compared to 84.8% for sedentary workers (p=0.05).

Conclusions:

• Receiving Workers' Compensation (WC) may be associated with a modest impact on return to work following total joint arthroplasty (TJA).
• Clinicians should consider the nature of employment, particularly for manual laborers, when managing expectations for return to work in WC patients undergoing TJA.