The Prevalence And Responsiveness Of Head Injuries In A Chronic Disabling Occupational Musculoskeletal Disorder Population

Abstract

Injuries to the head cause problems in multiple domains, including cognitive functioning, emotion regulation, memory recall, and reaction time. Head injuries are often highly debilitating and cause patients to have a difficult and lengthy recovery process, frequently resulting in lifelong depression and much lower quality of life. Although research has been conducted to assess separate psychosocial or medical interventions, no research exists examining the effectiveness of an interdisciplinary functional restoration rehabilitation program following head trauma. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of functional restoration on head injury patients (n = 122) in comparison to matched patients (n = 122) out of a subset of Chronic Disabling Occupational Musculoskeletal Disorders patients. Head-injury patients were matched to non-head injury patients on other extraneous injuries that they share. Patients participated in functional restoration and were administered measures of psychosocial distress upon admission and discharge from the program. Additionally, demographic variables were collected at admission. Overall, patients with a head injury performed comparably to the matched patients such that their psychosocial outcomes significantly improved through treatment and their one-year outcomes reflected those of typical patients. These results indicate that functional restoration is a useful tool to aid in recovery following trauma to the head.