About 40% of the people with traumatic or non-traumatic ABI are able to return to work after 1 or 2 years. Among those with acquired traumatic brain injury a substantial proportion of the subjects were either not able to return to their former work or unable to return permanently.

Strong evidence was found that six variables either had no association or a negative association with RTW. It is recommended to focus in rehabilitation on the factors for which weak evidence was found but that are trainable/treatable with the goal of improving the process of vocational rehabilitation.

In the long-term, multidisciplinary back training has a positive effect on work participation in patients with nonspecific chronic low back pain.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a 12-wk multidisciplinary occupational training program for patients with chronic low back pain and to identify prognostic factors for treatment success.Design: A total of 51 participants were evaluated at baseline, at discharge, and at 1 yr after conclusion of the program. The evaluation included a physical examination and assessment of functional disability, psychological factors, and coping styles. The main target of the program is full work resumption. The central outcome measures therefore are three variables on return to work.Results: Analysis of variance for repeated measures revealed significant beneficial changes during the program for all measures except for several coping-style variables. The acquired level of maximum oxygen uptake, trunk flexibility, functional disability, and catastrophizing were maintained at 1-yr follow-up. At 1-yr follow-up, Ͼ60% of the participants had fully returned to work, which is an increase of Ͼ40% compared with baseline. Regression analyses showed that sex, age, the baseline values of reinterpretation of pain sensations, and functional disability and changes in trunk flexibility scores during the program are important prognostic factors for complete return to work.Conclusions: Based on the current findings, the program seems to be efficacious in the short term. Future attention must be directed toward maintaining these results, although work resumption rates improved considerably 1 yr after conclusion of the program.