Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 23, 2026
Author Spotlight: Methodologies and Advancements of Chronic Pain Management Research
Published on: January 5, 2024
The effect of work-focused rehabilitation among patients with neck and back pain: a randomized controlled trial
Kjersti Myhre1, Gunn Hege Marchand, Gunnar Leivseth
1*Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Oslo University Hospital, Ulleval, Oslo, Norway †Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway ‡Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway §Copenhagen Centre for Back Research (COPEBACK), Centre for Rheumatology and Spine Diseases, Glostrup Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark ¶Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway ‖Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Oslo University Hospital, Ulleval, Oslo, Norway **National Institute of Occupational Health, Oslo, Norway; and ††Lovisenberg Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Study Design:
Multicenter randomized trial with patients listed as sick for 1 to 12 months due to neck or back pain and referred to secondary care.
Objective:
To compare the return-to-work (RTW) rate among patients offered work-focused rehabilitation or multidisciplinary rehabilitation.
Summary Of Background Data:
A growing number of studies have focused on the RTW processes associated with patients with back pain. Many studies have combined a workplace focus with multidisciplinary treatments; however, this focus has not been evaluated in Norway among patients with neck and back pain thus far.
Methods:
A total of 405 patients who were referred to the spine clinics at 2 university hospitals in Norway were randomly assigned into work-focused and control intervention groups. The existing treatments at each hospital were used as the control interventions, which entailed either a comprehensive multidisciplinary intervention or a brief multidisciplinary intervention. The RTW rates and proportions were compared at 12 months.
Results:
During the first 12 months after inclusion, 142 (70%) participants in the work-focused rehabilitation group and 152 (75%) participants in the control group returned to work. The median time to RTW was 161 days in the work-focused group and 158 days in the control group. A comparison of the work-focused and control interventions revealed a relative RTW probability (hazard ratio) of 0.94 (95% confidence interval = 0.75-1.17) after adjusting for age, sex, and education.
Conclusion:
The results suggest that a focus on the workplace in specialist care does not substantially alter the RTW rate compared with standard multidisciplinary treatments.
More Related Videos
06:28Biomechanical Changes Related to Low Back Pain: An Innovative Tool for Movement Pattern Assessment and Treatment Evaluation in Rehabilitation
Published on: December 13, 2024
04:28Warm Moxibustion and Scraping as a Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy for Cervical Spondylosis Treatment
Published on: June 27, 2025