• Rathin N Vora, Bruce A Barron, Anthony Almudevar, and Mark J Utell.
• Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14623, USA.
• Spine. 2012 Sep 15;37(20):E1282-9.

Study DesignA retrospective cohort study.ObjectiveTo evaluate return-to-work outcomes in patients with chronic, work-related low back pain referred to pain treatment centers and/or spine clinics (PTCs/SCs).Summary Of Background DataReturn-to-work outcomes in cases of work-related chronic low back pain after referral to PTCs and/or SCs have not been previously studied.MethodsA retrospective chart review of 230 consecutive patients was conducted from an occupational medicine program. Of these, 122 patients were referred to a PTC/SC and 108 patients were not. Multivariate logistic regression was used to develop a model to predict improvement in functional status and pain level after 1 year.ResultsAt the 1-year evaluation, there was functional improvement in the nonreferral group (P < 0.001) and no change in the referral group (P = 0.21). The change in pain level was similar. Time from injury to initial evaluation seemed to be the major factor contributing to poor outcomes in both groups.ConclusionReferral to a PTC/SC did not yield improved functional outcomes in this cohort. A major factor contributing to this finding was the length of time to referral to PTC/SC after the initial injury.

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