Effects of Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Courses on Work Ability

• Conditions: Musculoskeletal Diseases or Conditions; Musculoskeletal Disorders

• Registration Number: NCT06749509
• Lead Sponsor: Social Insurance Institution, Finland

Brief Summary

The goal of this observational study is to learn about the effects of two different musculoskeletal rehabilitation programs in working-age people with musculoskeletal disorders. The main question it aims to answer is:

Do musculoskeletal rehabilitation programs A or B improve work ability in people with musculoskeletal disorders?

Participants starting in rehabilitation programs A and B will answer survey questions about their work ability and related factors three times: when starting, immediately after the rehabilitation ends, and 4 months after ending the rehabilitation. Participants in study group C will answer the same questions during the same time period.

Researchers will compare participants in rehabilitation programs A and B to participants in group C, who have musculoskeletal disorders but will not participate in rehabilitation programs. The comparison is done to see if there are differences in the changes in work ability and related factors, such as pain or quality of life.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2024-12-19
• Study First Submitted QC: 2024-12-19
• Study First Posted: 2024-12-27
• Study Start: 2025-01-13
• Status Verified: 2025-02
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-02-10
• Last Update Posted: 2025-02-12
• Primary Completion: 2026-08-31
• Study Completion: 2026-12-31

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 480

Inclusion Criteria

Groups 1 ja 2:

• diagnosed musculoskeletal disorder

• 18 years or older

• in employment, returning to work, studying, or receives rehabilitation subsidy

• participating in either of the following:

  • Kela's face-to-face musculoskeletal rehabilitation (A)
  • Kela's musculoskeletal telerehabilitation (B)

• willingness to participate in the study

Group 3 (Controls):

• diagnosed musculoskeletal disorder
• 18 years or older
• in employment, returning to work, studying, or receives rehabilitation subsidy
• musculoskeletal symptoms have lasted at least 3 months and the person has participated in physiotherapy or self-rehabilitation without satisfactory results
• willingness to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria

Group 3 (Controls):

• Current rehabilitation needs are related to post-treatment care or post-discharge rehabilitation.
• acute or untreated substance use disorder
• participating in or apply for Kela's musculoskeletal rehabilitation services (A or B) during the next few months

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change from Baseline in Work Ability at 4-6 Months and 8-10 Months	Baseline (pre-intervention), 4-6 months (after the intervention), 8-10 months (4-month follow-up)	Work Ability Index questionnaire (7-49 points; the higher score indicates better work ability)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change from Baseline in Mood at 4-6 months	Baseline (pre-intervention), 4-6 months (after the intervention)	Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI-21) (0-63; the higher score indicates more depressive symptoms)
Change from Baseline in Quality of Life at 4-6 months	Baseline (pre-intervention), 4-6 months (after the intervention)	World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument (WHOQOL-BREF) (0-100; the higher score indicates better quality of life)
Change from Baseline in Functional Ability at 4-6 months	Baseline (pre-intervention), 4-6 months (after the intervention)	PROMIS®-29 Profile v2.1 (without 4 questions concerning depression) (t-score; the higher score indicates more measured quality)
Change from Baseline in Pain at 4-6 months and 8-10 months	Baseline (pre-intervention), 4-6 months (after the intervention), 8-10 months (4-month follow-up)	5 questions from PROMIS®-29 Profile v2.1 concerning pain and 5 questions concerning musculoskeletal pain characteristics
Change from Baseline in Return-to-Work Self Efficacy at 4-6 months	Baseline (pre-intervention), 4-6 months (after the intervention)	Return-to-Work Self Efficacy (RTW-SE), modified version (0-66; the higher score indicates better self efficacy)
Invidual Goal Achievement	4-6 months (after intervention)	Goal Attainment Scaling method (GAS)
Days Lost Through Sickness	Between January 1, 2024 and June 30, 2026	Register-based data concerning sickness allowance. The sickness allowance is paid as compensation for loss of income due to incapacity for work lasting less than a full year. Periods which have lasted ten days or more are available in Kela's register.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

The Social Insurance Institution of Finland; 🇫🇮 Helsinki, Finland