IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v20y2023i6p5188-d1098176.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Functional Tests Predicting Return to Work of Workers with Non-Specific Low Back Pain: Are There Any Validated and Usable Functional Tests for Occupational Health Services in Everyday Practice? A Systematic Review

Author

Listed:
  • Heikki Hurri

    (Research Institute Orton, Tenholantie 10, 00280 Helsinki, Finland)

  • Toni Vänni

    (Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, PL 63, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
    Terveystalo, Jaakonkatu 3, 00100 Helsinki, Finland)

  • Elli Muttonen

    (Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, PL 63, 00014 Helsinki, Finland)

  • Fabrizio Russo

    (Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Via Alvaro del Portillo 200, 00128 Rome, Italy)

  • Sergio Iavicoli

    (General for European and International Relations, Ministry of Health, General for Communication and International Affairs, Ministero della Salute, 00144 Roma, Italy)

  • Leena Ristolainen

    (Research Institute Orton, Tenholantie 10, 00280 Helsinki, Finland)

Abstract

The literature predominantly advocates subjective perception of disability and pain as an outcome measure for the functional evaluation of patients with low back pain (LBP). Physical outcome measurements are almost completely ignored. In this systematic review, we focused on physical functional measurements that can contribute to the prediction of patients’ return to work (RTW) readiness after sick leave or rehabilitation. Searches were conducted in July 2022 without any time limit in the Cochrane Library, PEDro, PubMed and Scopus databases for functional and clinical tests reliable and applicable in clinical practice without demanding equipment. Two independent researchers extracted the data from the included articles in a standardised data collection form, and a third researcher validated the data extraction. No date restriction was applied. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines in conducting the review. We found seven original articles, including six with an impact on predicting RTW. We found four fair and three poor original studies fulfilling our criteria. We found the Back Performance Scale (BPS) and back endurance test to be the most promising tests for occupational health service and the clinical practitioner. Radiation of back pain, with or without neurological deficiencies, had some predictive value in terms of RTW, too. The working conditions vary a lot, which causes inconsistency in the studies and in their interpretation. Functional tests could complete the widely used working ability evaluations methods such as the Work Ability Index (WAI) and are worth considering for future research. Overall, more research is needed in this field. The question of when LBP patients can resume everyday activities and work is not possible to determine with functional tests alone. Psychosocial aspects and work demands must be considered. PROSPERO: CRD42022353955. The study was funded by the University of Helsinki.

Suggested Citation

  • Heikki Hurri & Toni Vänni & Elli Muttonen & Fabrizio Russo & Sergio Iavicoli & Leena Ristolainen, 2023. "Functional Tests Predicting Return to Work of Workers with Non-Specific Low Back Pain: Are There Any Validated and Usable Functional Tests for Occupational Health Services in Everyday Practice? A Syst," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-16, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:6:p:5188-:d:1098176
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/6/5188/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/6/5188/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rob C van Lummel & Stefan Walgaard & Mirjam Pijnappels & Petra J M Elders & Judith Garcia-Aymerich & Jaap H van Dieën & Peter J Beek, 2015. "Physical Performance and Physical Activity in Older Adults: Associated but Separate Domains of Physical Function in Old Age," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(12), pages 1-16, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Eleftheria Giannouli & Otmar Bock & Wiebren Zijlstra, 2018. "Cognitive functioning is more closely related to real-life mobility than to laboratory-based mobility parameters," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 15(1), pages 57-65, March.
    2. Dawid Koźlenia & Jarosław Domaradzki, 2021. "The Impact of Physical Performance on Functional Movement Screen Scores and Asymmetries in Female University Physical Education Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-11, August.
    3. Julia Seinsche & Wiebren Zijlstra & Eleftheria Giannouli, 2020. "Motility in Frail Older Adults: Operationalization of a New Framework and First Insights into Its Relationship with Physical Activity and Life-Space Mobility: An Exploratory Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-20, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:6:p:5188-:d:1098176. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.