RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS IN INDUSTRIAL LOW-BACK-PAIN RELATING TO RETURN TO WORK .1. ACUTE INTERVENTIONS

Employers and insurers are interested in being able to use cost-effect ive interventions for returning injured workers to the workplace. Unfo rtunately, truly objective information is lacking. The purpose of this and two subsequent review articles was to perform thorough scrutiny a nd methodologic comparison among all obtainable, published randomized and controlled studies on low back pain (LBP) interventions leading to return to work. The study was confined to English language articles p ublished from 1975 through 1993. Of more than 4,000 LBP citations, mor e than 500 were chosen for review. Of that number, 35 articles met the selection criteria of randomization, reasonable controls, and work re turn comparisons. This paper focuses on the 10 articles relating to in terventions for acute (less than 4 weeks) LBP, and considers bed rest, exercise, spinal manipulation, back school, and case management. A 26 -point quality system was used to compare the methodologic rigor of ea ch article. This literature survey demonstrated the meager scientific foundations on which our industrial rehabilitation programs are based. (C) 1995 by the American Congress of-Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation