[Return to Work after Fractures of the Pelvis and the Acetabulum]

Pelvic and acetabular fractures are severe injuries with serious consequences that mainly happen to young people. Therefore it is highly interesting to find out to what extent affected patients succeed in returning to work, which is an important factor concerning quality of live. Thus, the objective of this study was to estimate the "return to work" in a two-year follow-up after rehabilitative treatment of patients with pelvic and acetabular fractures and to identify influencing factors.

A retrospective cohort study was conducted using population-based administrative data of the Baden-Württemberg statutory pension fund. All patients (age 18 to 63 years) who had participated in a rehabilitation programme between 2004 and 2009 due to a pelvic or acetabular fracture were included. Return to work was modelled using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Rehabilitants were classified as "returned" if they have paid at least one monthly contribution due to employment during 13 to 24 months after rehabilitation. Age, gender, diagnostic group, type of rehabilitation programme, fractures of the spine, nerve injuries of the lumbosacral area and/or the lower limb and employment status before the fractures were considered as prognostic covariates.

Two-thirds of the 249 researched patients returned to work. This corresponds to a reduction of employment amounting to 16.6 % for patients with a pelvic fracture and 20.8 % for patients with an acetabular fracture. Main predictor for a return to work was the employment status before the fracture. Younger patients had a better chance to return to work than older ones. Patients with fractures of the spine or nerve injuries of the lumbosacral area and/or the lower limb had a 73 % or, respectively, 78 % higher risk of not returning to work.

Fractures of the pelvis and the acetabulum currently lead in one of five patients to loss of employment. Thereby the trauma threatens the social security of the young patients. Follow-up care should be intensified to increase recovery rates and reduce the burden of long-term work disability.