NOS NOUVELLES
The identification of chronicity risk factors
Many researches within the last few years have addressed psychosocial factors as being important indicators of chronicity in individuals with musculoskeletal lesions. Many of those researches have validated their theories stating that psychosocial factors such as fear of movement and emotional distress hold an important role in the evolution of functional capacities.
There exists an array of factors that have been indentified. From the latter we find age, the number of previous musculoskeletal lesions, as well as fear of movement, pain intensity and disability perception.
Even though it is impossible to influence certain factors, such as age for instance, it is however possible to intervene and influence other factors which can help the worker regain his functional autonomy.
Occupational therapy is the designated profession when it comes to intervening with individuals dealing with psychosocial factors. Indeed, its university training encompassing mental and physical health enables it to act on both planes within a bio-psychosocial approach.
The rehabilitation advisor, doctor, physiotherapist and employer can also have an important impact on the prevention and decrease of an individual’s psychosocial factors.
Indeed, many factors are linked to a single common emotion: fear. The latter, impedes the individual and trigger behaviours that go against that individual’s rehabilitation. For instance, by avoiding movement by fear of pain, it will cause a physical deconditioning which in turn will cause a decrease in functional status.
By reassuring and informing the client regarding his condition and his file (administrative progression), it is possible to reduce the stress that that individual is experiencing while enabling them to adopt adequate bahaviours in relation to their rehabilitation (such as to move according to their tolerance).
The different individuals involved in the client’s file also have to work as a team and move in the same direction. Some of those individuals, such as the employer, can be made aware and mobilised earlier on the rehabilitation process in order to, amongst other things, enable a speedy return to work and avoid chronicity.
Nobody likes to be hurt and in pain and fraudulent individuals are rare. It is important to question the behaviour adopted by the worker and see if there is anything that we can do to change it.
Proactive team work and the worker’s understanding that the goal of these individuals consists of helping them re-establish themselves within the best delay, is a situation where everybody is a winner.