Articles

This page lists all practical and feature articles available on RTWMatters. From top ten tips, how to guides and case studies, through to webinar recordings and video interviews with industry experts.

Click the ‘Topics’ button below to drill down into all articles and research updates on your topic of interest.

Click the ‘Quick Guides’ button for practical bit sized guides that give you a sound basic knowledge base.

Holding the torch higher — the social realities of self-management

contributorLauren Finestone

Self-management is not just about individual efforts. It's shaped by social factors and the...

‘Even the lone ranger had Tonto’ — the unintended consequences of pain self-management

contributorLauren Finestone

Dr Karen Rodham, Senior Lecturer in Health Psychology at the University of Chichester, cautions...

Self-management of ongoing pain — ideal but still elusive

contributorLauren Finestone

By combining psychology-based skills with traditional pain management approaches healthcare...

From pain to possibility — the role of resilience in long-term pain management

contributorLauren Finestone

Some science-backed, practical things you can do to help people you work with ‘bounce forward’...

A WISE adaptation of a success story — Australia Post’s Early Matched Care Program (Part 2)

contributorLauren Finestone

Melanie Ianssen, Head of Rehabilitation at Australia Post, describes how that organisation...

A WISE adaptation of a success story — Australia Post’s Early Matched Care Program (Part 1)

contributorLauren Finestone

Melanie Ianssen, Head of Rehabilitation at Australia Post, describes how that organisation...

Webinar recording — Empowering the injured worker to take control of their management

contributorDr Darren Beales

A specialist musculoskeletal physiotherapist talks about empowering injured workers to take an...

‘We started with bananas’ — self-managing the culture of a small business

contributorLauren Finestone

One of the rewarding things about having a self-managed company can be empowering workers to...

Webinar recording — X-ray visions of doom: Why radiology results can hinder back pain self-management

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

Dr Wyatt discusses the rise in spinal radiology over the last 30 years and the harms that come...

The vicious cycle of pain and anxiety — and how to tame the anxious wolf

contributorLauren Finestone

Practical evidence-based tips for dealing with pain-related anxiety, or helping someone else...

EAST-ern medicine — how behavioural science can help people self-manage their health and wellbeing

contributorLauren Finestone

A guide about what drives our behaviour can help people living with long-term conditions and...

A new guide to help primary care practitioners treat people with low back pain

contributorLauren Finestone

There's a new guide for primary care practitioners who work with people with low back pain.

The AI cat is out of the bag — transparency, and reflections from the RTWMatters team

contributorRTWMatters team

ChatGPT. We’re betting you’ve heard about it lately. It’s been hard to miss, and seems here to...

Job crafting — another way to self-manage long-term pain problems

contributorLauren Finestone

Self-management of long-term pain conditions doesn’t just mean doing things to manage the...

Webinar recording — Will best practice in personal injury case/claims management please reveal itself?

contributorDr Andrew Fronsko

Personal injury compensation schemes have been around for more than 75 years. Yet the question,...

Threading the needle (Part 2) — tips for managing RTW for injured or ill workers

contributorLauren Finestone

Safework Australia has a guide helps supervisors in small and medium businesses tread the tricky...

Threading the needle (Part 1) — tips for managing RTW for injured or ill workers

contributorLauren Finestone

Safework Australia's new guide helps supervisors in small and medium businesses tread the tricky...

Managing musculoskeletal conditions at work (Part 2) — 6 steps to a job change

contributorLauren Finestone

For some people with back pain or other musculoskeletal conditions, self-management may mean...

Managing musculoskeletal conditions at work (Part 3) — your legal rights and responsibilities

contributorLauren Finestone

A legal expert talks about rights and responsibilities at work if someone has musculoskeletal...

Managing musculoskeletal conditions at work (Part 1) — breaking the boom and bust cycle

contributorLauren Finestone

A musculoskeletal physiotherapist talks about what pain is, ‘boom and bust behaviour’, activity...

From the inside out — behaviour change tips and techniques to manage osteoarthritis

contributorLauren Finestone

Behaviour change techniques to overcome the challenges of trying to stick to a management plan.

From dictator to facilitator — reframing the role of therapists in patient care

contributorLauren Finestone

We’ve been discussing the role of physiotherapy in self-management for decades – how much...

Pain sites — the best self-management podcasts and websites

contributorLauren Finestone

We’ve created a list of the best evidence-based websites and podcasts to help people with...

Self-management — the muscle behind effective musculoskeletal care

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

Self-management of long-term musculoskeletal conditions 101 — the basics.

Return to work is everybody’s business — how everyone can be part of the solution

contributorLauren Finestone

Catherine Day, Director of Employer Supervision and Return to Work at SIRA, outlines SIRA's work...

The ‘Four Cs’ of supporting workers with long Covid symptoms return to work

contributorLauren Finestone

Thousands of workers with long Covid are, and will continue to be, exploring return to work. Dr...

Webinar recording — Implementing value-based healthcare in personal injury schemes

contributorJamie Macdonald

In this webinar, Jamie Macdonald discusses SIRA’s approach to implementing value, their key...

Words, language and collaboration matter in returning to ‘good work’

contributorLauren Finestone

Four experts discuss the idea of ‘good work’ and how collaboration can achieve better outcomes...

‘Be more human, think like a customer’ — the importance of empathy and connection in case management

contributorLauren Finestone

When injured workers reflect on their workers' comp claims experience, it's how their claims...

Comcare’s management of IMEs — the Commonwealth Ombudsman takes a look

contributorLauren Finestone

The Commonwealth Ombudsman’s investigation into Comcare’s management of IMEs addresses reports...

IMEs as forces for healing, not harming — Part 2: healthcare providers

contributorLauren Finestone

Independent medical examinations are a healthcare issue that contributes to poorer outcomes for...

IMEs as forces for healing, not harming — Part 1: case managers

contributorLauren Finestone

Independent medical examinations are one of many factors in our compensation system that can...

Webinar recording — Every recovery needs a plan

contributorDr John McMahon

John McMahon, Director of Science at Navigator Group, discusses their Navigator Support Program...

Challenges and opportunities — the lie of the land through the eyes of RTW Coordinators

contributorLauren Finestone

What challenges do RTW Coordinators face? And what training and other needs do they have to do...

Recovery at home — the overARChing intent of an innovative rehab model

contributorLauren Finestone

An innovative technology-supported model of rehabilitation takes remote therapy to another...

New clinical care standard for low back pain — a story of hope

contributorLauren Finestone

The new Low Back Pain Clinical Care Standard aims to make sure patients with this common...

Telerehabilitation for spine pain in the lockdown era — not the same, but better

contributorLauren Finestone

Telerehabilitation on pain and disability in patients with spine pain achieved more improvement...

Webinar recording: Q&A with ReturnToWorkSA – Lighting the way for RTW Coordinators

contributorHouda Peters

In this Q&A session, Mary Wyatt interviews ReturnToWorkSA Employer Education Advisor, Houda...

What happens to workers when their long duration compensation claims stop?

contributorLauren Finestone

In a study, one in 4 workers with long-duration workers compensation claims moved onto...