Work Conditioning: The Appropriate Stepped Physical Therapy Care for Injured Workers in Physically Demanding Roles: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of work conditioning for injured workers with low back pain conditions relative to acute physical therapy. Episodes of injured workers with medium+ physical demand level (PDL) jobs leveraging acute workers' compensation physical therapy with (Acute+) or without (Acute) transition to work conditioning were considered. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) compared visits and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) between Acute and Acute+ cohorts controlling for baseline factors, and χ 2 compared achievement of medium+ PDL capacity between cohorts. Most patients (81%) received only Acute PT. Between-group differences in visits were favorable to Acute, and PRO metrics were all favorable to Acute+ (all P  < 0.001). Significantly more (80%) in the Acute+ cohort achieved medium+ PDL than Acute only (57%; P  < 0.001). Acute+ increases utilization but yields significantly better PRO metrics.