Useful online resources

As part of our commitment to proving and keeping you up to date with relevant industry information, we have found a useful online resource called The Return To Work Knowledge Base which is sponsored by Return To Work Matters Pty Ltd.

This website provides information and resources to help improve outcomes in return to work and injury management. The information on this site caters for a range of stakeholders including treating doctors, allied health professionals, rehabilitation professionals and policy makers.

This site is designed to provide helpful tips and tricks that help facilitate the return to work process. The information provided is evidence based and encourages best practice and cooperation. Items that may be of interest to you include:

• Easy to read research papers. The articles can be browsed in interest group collections - employee, employer etc and a search facility is also available on all pages. Alternatively all articles can be seen via the 'View all Articles' tab and on the summary pages the article title is the link to the full text.
• Resources - links to useful information on work disability such as patient handouts, work disability reports, treatment guidelines. The link to the resource page for each group is at the top of the left navigation menu on the summary pages.

We recommend you check out an article named 'Underuse' As a cause for musculoskeletal injuries: Is it time that we started reframing our message?

The article looks at the causes of musculoskeletal injuries. For many years articles have suggested that 'overuse' is the cause of pain. However accumulating studies are indicating that the real cause is inactivity and the term 'underuse' may be a more appropriate term.

The 14 year study found that those who exercised had a significant reduction in musculoskeletal pain. Current treatment regimes, that is supported by professional research, encourages movement and reduced rest.

Under the 'Treater's perspective', the commentary discusses the fact that patients are often anxious about activity after injury, or after non specific pain. Due to the fear of exacerbating the injury patients often become fear avoidant. Treating practitioners may also be hesitant about instructing people to return to activity and can also develop these behaviours.

The underlying message is that it is important for providers to try and get their patients to understand that most activities are safe and rest can be detrimental for recovery. Treating practitioners should also try to ensure that they do not develop some of these fear avoidant behaviours in getting their injured patient back to work.

Click here to read the article in full.

Original Article, Authors & Publication Details:
S. D. Stovitz¹ and R. J. Johnson¹ (2006).

Br J Sports Med; 40(9):738-739.
¹ Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.