Role of Bio-Psychosocial factors in return to work following a compensable knee injury

Abstract

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between work status and biomedical factors, psychosocial factors, occupational factors, physical disability, and barriers to full recovery.

Methods

This study was a cross sectional evaluation of workers with an active compensation claim following a work-related injury to the knee joint.

Results

Data of 60 consecutive injured workers, mean age, 47 ± 14, 40 (67%) males were used for analysis. Thirty-one (52%) patients were unable to work and 29 (48%) patients were working at the time of assessment. Patient’s age, gender, range of motion, and strength did not have a direct relationship with work status (p > 0.05). Obesity had a negative impact on work status (p = 0.035). Depression (p = 0.001), anxiety (p = 0.002), and the fear avoidance of the Optimal Screening for Prediction of Referral and Outcome (OSPRO-YF) scale (p = 0.019) showed higher levels of psychosocial issues in the non-working sample. Patients with 3 or more barriers (p = 0.020) and higher disability score (p = 0.004) showed an inferior work status.

Discussion

Presence of obesity, depression, anxiety, fear-related beliefs, higher reported disability, and accumulative number of barriers are indicative of poorer recovery and a less successful RTW after an occupational knee injury.

Keywords:

• Psychosocial factors
• injured workers
• return to work
• depression
• anxiety
• knee injuries
• fear avoidance behaviour
• cross-sectional study

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.