The Functional Restoration Approach to the Treatment of Chronic Pain in Patients with Soft Tissue and Back Injuries

A prospective randomized study of 542 injured workers with continuing pain compared 271 workers who were treated at either one of two clinics that provided functional restoration with a control group of 271 subjects. Chronic pain was caused by low back injury in 78% of patients; 79% of those treated were at work 12 months after completion of treatment compared with 78% of the control subjects. When the patients were divided into subsets, based on the accident date and followed monthly, the duration of absence from work, the compensation costs, the disability award costs, and the total costs were less for those treated than the control subjects, but these were not statistically significant. Using the difference in total costs as a measure of relative success, back injuries had better results than other injuries in this study.