Models of Diagnosis and Rehabilitation in Musculoskeletal Pain-Related Occupational Disability

There does not exist an agreed-upon, unifying model of diagnosis and rehabilitation of pain-related occupational disability; rather, multiple, often competing and conflicting models currently operate, both in the literature and in practice. A systematic analysis of the theoretical and empirical literature on pain-related disability was undertaken to identify current conceptual models of diagnosis and rehabilitation. Five relevant conceptual models were chosen for review: the biomedical model, the psychiatric model, the insurance model, the labor relations model, and the biopsychosocial model. The analysis focused on the key theoretical tenets of each model, underlying values, implications for clinical practice, and management by compensation and health care systems.