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. 2022 Feb 20;4(3):e927-e933.
doi: 10.1016/j.asmr.2022.01.004. eCollection 2022 Jun.

Earlier Return to Light Duty Is Associated With Successful Return to Full Duty of Workers' Compensation Patients Treated With Shoulder Arthroscopic Surgery

Patrick A Massey  1 , Gabriel Sampognaro  1 , Phillip Fincher  2 , Samantha Vance  1 , Milan Mody  3 , R Shane Barton  1
Affiliations

Earlier Return to Light Duty Is Associated With Successful Return to Full Duty of Workers' Compensation Patients Treated With Shoulder Arthroscopic Surgery

Patrick A Massey et al. Arthrosc Sports Med Rehabil. .

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate Workers' Compensation (WC) patients who underwent arthroscopic shoulder surgery for workplace shoulder injuries and to determine whether there was an association between earlier return to light duty and earlier return to full duty.

Methods: After receiving institutional review board approval, we performed a retrospective chart review of all WC patients treated with shoulder arthroscopic surgery by 2 senior authors between 2011 and 2018. The patients were divided into 2 groups: Group 1 went back to light-duty work within the first 100 days after surgery, whereas group 2 performed light-duty work after 100 days or performed no light-duty work. The primary outcomes included the length of time from surgery to light-duty work and the length of time from surgery to return to the full-duty work level.

Results: A total of 59 patients met the inclusion criteria. There was a moderate correlation between the number of days at which the patients were released to light duty and the days they were able to be released to full duty (r = 0.35). In group 1 (light duty ≤ 100 days), 18 patients (75%) went back to full duty, whereas only 16 patients (46%) in group 2 were able to return to full-duty work (P = .025).

Conclusions: Earlier return to light duty is associated with earlier return to full duty after shoulder arthroscopic surgery in patients with a Workers' Compensation claim. Additionally, WC patients who returned to early light duty in the first 100 days postoperatively had a higher rate of return to full duty than did patients who did not return to early light duty.

Level of evidence: Level III, case-control study.

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Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Flowchart showing inclusion criteria after patients were excluded for revision surgery, polytrauma with multiple other operations, and fractures. (WC, Workers’ Compensation.)
Fig 2
Fig 2
Scatter plot diagram showing association between earlier return to light duty and earlier return to full duty. A moderate association (r = 0.35) was found.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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