Research short: Getting disability off your back
New research shows patient anxiety and distress about a lower back complaint significantly reduces the chance of a successful return to work outcome.
While back pain is a fairly common affliction, being disabled by back pain is comparatively rare. However, when a back pain-induced disability occurs, it results in a very restricted lifestyle, high treatment costs, and can often lead to relationship disruption, isolation and depression. A number of studies have suggested that the severity of the medical condition, and the severity of the pain, do not correlate with the level of disability...