Injuries and time off work go hand in hand.

There is nothing more automatic than getting off your feet with a sprained ankle. And if you break your leg, you will take at least a couple of days off work. And if you sprained your low back yesterday, you are not going to do any heavy lifting today. We wouldn’t think of treating a broken arm without a cast. We know we can’t really use the arm until the cast comes off.

 

And so it is automatic to think that with chronic pain, we should at least cut back on our work, and probably quit altogether. And if you think this way, you are not alone. The soaring numbers of people on disability, a higher percentage than at any time in the past, are sure evidence that many people AND physicians think this way.

They are wrong: 

Unemployment is not good for you, 

or your pain.

 

There is strong evidence, based on multiple large medical studies, showing that unemployment is harmful to your health. Even people with musculoskeletal problems, such as chronic neck and low back pain do worse with unemployment. Comparing people who go back to work, (or continue working) to people who quit working (with the same health challenges) shows the true cost of unemployment. These comparisons show that those who quit working:

1. have a higher mortality rate

2. develop poorer general health and lower quality of life

3. have more long-standing illness

4. experience poorer mental health and have greater psychological distress and psychological/psychiatric morbidity

5. have higher medical consumption and hospital admission rates

6. experience more musculoskeletal pain

 

Continuing to Work or Returning to Work is good for you.

There is a strong evidence base showing that work is generally good for physical and mental health and well-being. The benefits of returning to work, or continuing to work are:

1. activity-based rehabilitation and early return to work (or remaining at work) are therapeutic and beneficial for health and well-being for most workers with musculoskeletal conditions

2. work can reverse the adverse health effects of unemployment. (this has been demonstrated for healthy people of working age, for many disabled people, for most people with common health problems and for social security beneficiaries)

 

Work is therapeutic.

The best place to

rehab a work injury

is on the job.

 

 

Most people with musculoskeletal problems do work.

There is a high prevalence of musculoskeletal conditions, yet most people with musculoskeletal conditions (including many with objective disease) can and do work, even when symptomatic. Many patients with severe musculoskeletal diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis remain at work and experience health benefits from working. Thus, musculoskeletal conditions do not automatically preclude physical work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full time parenting is a real job.

Some full time parents stay home to raise children and this is a real job. They get the same benefits from active participation in child rearing as employees that return to work.

 

Summary.

Adults need to be involved in the activities that are normal for their age. This means going to school or raising children or working for most adults, or participation in active hobbies for adults of retirement age.

Even people on

“disability”

can find volunteer positions that

are compatible with their

“ability."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Participation is the Goal

The GOAL for our patients:

1. Be actively involved in raising children,

2. Or attending school,

3. Or working or volunteering at least 20 hours per week,

4. Or participating in active hobbies for people of retirement age.