Determinants of Occupational Disability Following a Low Back Injury

Low back musculoskeletal injuries pose a formidable health care problem for injured workers, industries and compensation systems. The lifetime prevalence of low back pain ranges from 60 to 90% and the annual incidence is 5% (1). While only a small proportion of acute back injuries progress on to disability and chronicity, it is these cases that contribute most to the economic and social burden of illness and the individual’s physical, economic and psychological difficulties (1-5). It would be useful, therefore, to be able to predict, shortly after injury, those workers who are at high risk for continued disability.