WCRI: Psychosocial Factors Can Impede Recovery From Low-Back Injuries

Psychosocial factors can hamper recovery from lower-back pain and be a stronger cost driver than some catastrophic injuries, analysts with the Workers Compensation Research Institute said Tuesday. These risk factors, which include fear of pain due to activity, negative coping, job dissatisfaction, perceived injustice and stressful work, as well as family and support system issues, can negatively affect recovery time for workers' comp claimants dealing with lower-back injuries, researchers said during a panel discussion at the 2024 WCRI Issues & Research Conference in Boston. Research...