Trial reportBMC musculoskeletal disorders2015
Change in pain, disability and influence of fear-avoidance in a work-focused intervention on neck and back pain: a randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT00840697 (Facilitating and Inhibiting Factors and Effect of Interventions in Return to Work for Patients With Neck and Low Back Pain), which is not on this map. Cited by 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Facilitating and Inhibiting Factors and Effect of Interventions in Return to Work for Patients With Neck and Low Back Pain
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 43 citations in OpenAlex.
- Return-to-work coordination programmes for improving return to work in workers on sick leave.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017Pooled it
- Effectiveness of patient education plus motor control exercise versus patient education alone versus motor control exercise alone for rural community-dwelling adults with chronic low back pain: a randomised clinical trial.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2023Trial
- Effects of Inpatient Multicomponent Occupational Rehabilitation versus Less Comprehensive Outpatient Rehabilitation on Somatic and Mental Health: Secondary Outcomes of a Randomized Clinical Trial.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2017Trial
- Trial
- The impact of anxiety/depression symptoms on return to work in patients with chronic neck or back pain: a longitudinal cohort study from the Norwegian neck and back registry.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Article
- Mapping Vocational Rehabilitation Interventions for People with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Scoping Review.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2026Review
- Is the association between graded sickness absence and return to work confounded by health? A longitudinal cohort study from the Norwegian neck and back registry.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Symptom burden and follow-up of patients with neck and back complaints in specialized outpatient care: a national register study.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Categories of the Patient-Specific Functional Scale Activities in Chronic Neck Pain and Their Relationship to the Neck Disability Index.Rehabilitation research and practice · 2024Article
- A scoping review to ascertain the parameters for an evidence synthesis of psychological interventions to improve work and wellbeing outcomes among employees with chronic pain.Health psychology and behavioral medicine · 2021Article
- Time to re-think our strategy with musculoskeletal disorders and workstation ergonomics.The South African journal of physiotherapy · 2021Article
- Fear-Avoidance Behavior and Sickness Absence in Patients with Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2020Article
- Interventions on cognitions and perceptions that influence work participation of employees with chronic health problems: a scoping review.BMC public health · 2020Article
- Validity of the Multidimensional Task Ability Profile.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2019Observational
- Effectiveness of Integration and Re-Integration into Work Strategies for Persons with Chronic Conditions: A Systematic Review of European Strategies.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2018Review
- Fear Avoidance Beliefs and Risk of Long-Term Sickness Absence: Prospective Cohort Study among Workers with Musculoskeletal Pain.Pain research and treatment · 2018Article
- Demand, Control and Support at Work Among Sick-Listed Patients with Neck or Back Pain: A Prospective Study.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2016Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundNeck and back pain are among the most common causes of prolonged disability, and development of interventions with effect on pain, disability and return to work is important. Reduction of fear avoidance might be one mechanism behind improvement after interventions. The aim of the present study was to evaluate changes in pain and disability at the 12-month follow-up of patients with neck and back pain treated with a work-focused intervention compared to patients treated with standard interventions, and the influence of improvement fear avoidance beliefs during the interventions on pain, disability and return to work at 12-month follow-up.
methods413 employed patients with back or neck pain referred to secondary care, and sick-listed between 4 weeks and 12 months, were randomized to a work-focused rehabilitation or control interventions. Follow-up was conducted 4 and 12 months after inclusion. The groups were compared (independent sample t-test) regarding differences in disability scores (Oswestry disability index/neck disability index) and pain (numeric rating scale) from baseline to 12-month follow-up. Changes in fear avoidance beliefs (FABQ) from baseline to 4 month follow-up were calculated, and the association between this change and return to work, pain and disability at 12 months were tested in stepwise multiple logistic regression models.
resultsPain and, disability scores decreased to in both the work-focused and control intervention to 12-month follow-up, and there were no significant differences between the groups. FABQ decreased similarly in both groups to 4 month follow-up. The logistic regression model revealed an association between a reduced FABQ work score at 4 months and return to work within one year (adjusted OR 3.60, 95% CI 1.19 to 10.88). Reduced FABQ physical activity score at 4 months was associated with decreased disability after 12 months (adjusted OR (3.65. 95% CI 1.43 to 9.28).
conclusionsShort work-focused rehabilitation had the same effect on pain and disability as control interventions. Reduction in FABQ-W score after treatment seems to be an important predictor for return to work in both groups.
trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov NCT00840697.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.