Role of Bio-Psychosocial factors in return to work following a compensable knee injury

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between work status and biomedical factors, psychosocial factors, occupational factors, physical disability, and barriers to full recovery.Methods: This study was a cross sectional evaluation of workers with an active compensation claim following a work-related injury to the knee joint.Results: Data of 60 consecutive injured workers, mean age, 47 +/- 14, 40 (67%) males were used for analysis. Thirty-one (52%) patients were unable to work and 29 (48%) patients were working at the time of assessment. Patient's age, gender, range of motion, and strength did not have a direct relationship with work status (p > 0.05). Obesity had a negative impact on work status (p = 0.035). Depression (p = 0.001), anxiety (p = 0.002), and the fear avoidance of the Optimal Screening for Prediction of Referral and Outcome (OSPRO-YF) scale (p = 0.019) showed higher levels of psychosocial issues in the non-working sample. Patients with 3 or more barriers (p = 0.020) and higher disability score (p = 0.004) showed an inferior work status.Discussion: Presence of obesity, depression, anxiety, fear-related beliefs, higher reported disability, and accumulative number of barriers are indicative of poorer recovery and a less successful RTW after an occupational knee injury.