This study published by IRSST reveals, among other things, the disastrous consequences for injured workers when they do not feel believed or supported during their absence from work. Researchers actually observed the importance of workers' social reality for better understanding their rehabilitation process by listening to representations of health, illness and pain by workers unable to return to work due to musculoskeletal-related pain.

The results of this innovative study related to the rehabilitation of workers suffering from MSD are aimed mainly at occupational health and safety practitioners and rehabilitation counsellors. The latter will be able to use this research to establish action plans that are better adapted to the reality of people living with MSD. Studying and appreciating worker testimonies promotes an indepth understanding of the emotions, attitudes and behaviours that influence adaptation strategies for patients on the road to recovery or in rehabilitation.

The purpose of this activity was mainly to document the representations of disease, health, and healing that affect the rehabilitation process for workers with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) involved in a return-to-work process. The researchers investigated existing conceptual frameworks and related measurement tools. They then collected evidence from workers who had been absent from work for several months due to an MSD. The report situates the contribution of the workers' representations and strategies in their path towards healing and a return to work. It shows the importance of systematically integrating these perceptions into the evaluation of each case so that the intervention can be anchored to the patient's reality, and the quality of care thus be improved. The specific dovetailing of the clinical approach to the workers' representations is a guarantee of progress towards re-employment.