Occupational injury results in family economic crisis and national productivity loss, it is really becoming an important issue in our society. Low back pain is the most frequent injury affecting the workers. Except of prevention of injury, to have a work-hardening program and to push the injured workers return to work is also a challenge of medical personnels. The purposes of this study are (1) to develop a guideline to assess the low-back-pain workers’ impairment and working capacity; (2) to formulate a feasible work-hardening program for the low-back-pain workers; and (3) to execute the program, evaluate the training effect and then follow up the rate of return-to-work of the low-back-pain workers.

In the first year, a guideline of assessment of low- back impairment and working capacity will be developed. It may consist of the demographic data, the working status, the physical need in work, trunk muscle isokinetic strength, Oswestry low bak disability questionnaire, functional capacity evaluation and quality of life questionnaire. The whole assessment package will be empirically applied in low-back-pain workers and the validity and reliability will be tested. Besides, a work-hardening program for the low-back-pain workers will be established in the first year through the expert meeting and literature review. The work-hardening program will consist of training of trunk muscle strength, flexibility, and general fitness. A sling-exercise-training model will be applied in the program. From the second year, low-back-pain workers in outpatient department will be recruited with their own agreement and grouped randomly into the work-hardening group or the control group. The expected number is 30 in each group. According to the result of assessment of impairment and working capacity, the workers in work-hardening group will start the individualized work-hardening program for 3 months. After the program, the workers will be assessed again to evaluate the training effect, and, we will follow the rate of return-to-work among them three and 6 months after the program. The workers in the control group will be followed at 6 and 9 months after the enrollment and to get the rate of return-to-work in this group.

Occupational injury results in family economic crisis and national productivity loss, it is really becoming an important issue in our society. Low back pain is the most frequent injury affecting the workers. Except of prevention of injury, to have a work-hardening program and to push the injured workers return to work is also a challenge of medical personnels. The purposes of this study are (1) to develop a guideline to assess the low-back-pain workers’ impairment and working capacity; (2) to formulate a feasible work-hardening program for the low-back-pain workers; and (3) to execute the program, evaluate the training effect and then follow up the rate of return-to-work of the low-back-pain workers.

In the first year, a guideline of assessment of low- back impairment and working capacity will be developed. It may consist of the demographic data, the working status, the physical need in work, trunk muscle isokinetic strength, Oswestry low bak disability questionnaire, functional capacity evaluation and quality of life questionnaire. The whole assessment package will be empirically applied in low-back-pain workers and the validity and reliability will be tested. Besides, a work-hardening program for the low-back-pain workers will be established in the first year through the expert meeting and literature review. The work-hardening program will consist of training of trunk muscle strength, flexibility, and general fitness. A sling-exercise-training model will be applied in the program. From the second year, low-back-pain workers in outpatient department will be recruited with their own agreement and grouped randomly into the work-hardening group or the control group. The expected number is 30 in each group. According to the result of assessment of impairment and working capacity, the workers in work-hardening group will start the individualized work-hardening program for 3 months. After the program, the workers will be assessed again to evaluate the training effect, and, we will follow the rate of return-to-work among them three and 6 months after the program. The workers in the control group will be followed at 6 and 9 months after the enrollment and to get the rate of return-to-work in this group.

Inclusion Criteria:

• aged 18 to 65years have a job low back pain

Exclusion Criteria:

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