Return to work, no surgery Discussion

Patients who have been off work or on alternate work duties for a prolonged time following injury need a structured approach to resolve their work issues. I recommend using the following algorithm for patients who have delayed recovery / delayed return to work following injury with:

No current or potential indications for surgery related to injury
No current diagnosis for which activity would directly injure patient
Work safety-liability or performance capability concerns.

Goals are to avoid prolonged time off work, avoid subjecting the patient to unnecessary or unhelpful tests, surgery or other treatment. In some cases, persistent symptoms must simply be accepted.

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