An observational study in Musculoskeletal Diseases or Conditions and Musculoskeletal Disorders, sponsored by Social Insurance Institution, Finland. Enrolling by invitation at 1 site in Finland. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-02-12.
Sponsored by Social Insurance Institution, Finland · Observational
The goal of this observational study is to learn about the effects of two different musculoskeletal rehabilitation programs in working-age people with musculoskeletal disorders. The main question it aims to answer is:
Do musculoskeletal rehabilitation programs A or B improve work ability in people with musculoskeletal disorders?
Participants starting in rehabilitation programs A and B will answer survey questions about their work ability and related factors three times: when starting, immediately after the rehabilitation ends, and 4 months after ending the rehabilitation. Participants in study group C will answer the same questions during the same time period.
Researchers will compare participants in rehabilitation programs A and B to participants in group C, who have musculoskeletal disorders but will not participate in rehabilitation programs. The comparison is done to see if there are differences in the changes in work ability and related factors, such as pain or quality of life.
668 studies on the registry are indexed under Musculoskeletal Diseases; 161 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 480 is above the median of 132 across 208 observational studies indexed under Musculoskeletal Diseases.
Browse Musculoskeletal Diseases studies →Social Insurance Institution, Finland is the lead sponsor of 3 studies on the registry; 1 is open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Those starting in either of the following services between January 2025 and January 2026:
Persons with MSD who contacted their occupational health care between January 2025 and January 2026 because of musculoskeletal symptoms, but will not participate in Kela's musculoskeletal rehabilitation. Two private companies offering occupational health care services nationally are involved.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Groups 1 ja 2:
participating in either of the following:
Group 3 (Controls):
Exclusion Criteria:
Group 3 (Controls):
Participation in a face-to-face rehabilitation course organized by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela) for those with musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) (A)
Other: Face-to-face musculoskeletal rehabilitation
Participation in a telerehabilitation course organized by Kela for those with MSD (B)
Other: Musculoskeletal telerehabilitation
Persons with MSD who had contacted their occupational health care because of musculoskeletal symptoms, and will not participate in Kela's musculoskeletal rehabilitation course during the study period
Other: Controls
Kela's rehabilitation course for those with MSD includes two 5-day periods and one 3-day period of face-to-face rehabilitation, which are carried out in a Finnish rehabilitation center over a 9-month period and implemented by a multidisciplinary team of rehabilitation experts. The rehabilitation course is group-based and provided free of charge. The 9-month rehabilitation period also includes calls to the participants before and after rehabilitation. The course is intended for persons over the age of 18 with diagnosed MSD and difficulties coping with work or studies. The course provides support, tools, and coaching to help manage daily life and work with MSD. Self-rehabilitation is an important component of the program. Individual goals based on the GAS method are set, evaluated, and adjusted during the rehabilitation. A medical statement is required when applying for the rehabilitation course.
Kela´s MSD telerehabilitation course is arranged entirely as telerehabilitation, and it includes videoconferencing, online rehabilitation, and group-based rehabilitation days implemented by a multidisciplinary team of rehabilitation experts. Participation does not require particular IT skills, but appropriate equipment (e.g., mobile phone, laptop, tablet computer) is needed. The rehabilitation course is free of charge, and the total duration, including the calls before and after rehabilitation, is approximately 7 months. The course is intended for persons over the age of 18 with diagnosed MSD and difficulties coping with work or studies. The course provides support, tools, and coaching to help manage daily life and work with MSD. Self-rehabilitation is an important component of the program. Individual goals based on the GAS method are set, evaluated, and adjusted during the rehabilitation. A physiotherapist's recommendation is required when applying for the telerehabilitation course
The control participants have an MSD diagnosis and musculoskeletal symptoms. Based on an occupational physiotherapist's brief evaluation they are eligible to apply for Kela's musculoskeletal rehabilitation (the interventions below). By them own choice, however, they will not participate in these rehabilitation programs in the near future. The controls are recruited via two occupational health care producers in the private sector.
Change from Baseline in Work Ability at 4-6 Months and 8-10 Months
Work Ability Index questionnaire (7-49 points; the higher score indicates better work ability)
Time frame: Baseline (pre-intervention), 4-6 months (after the intervention), 8-10 months (4-month follow-up)
Change from Baseline in Mood at 4-6 months
Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI-21) (0-63; the higher score indicates more depressive symptoms)
Time frame: Baseline (pre-intervention), 4-6 months (after the intervention)
Change from Baseline in Quality of Life at 4-6 months
World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument (WHOQOL-BREF) (0-100; the higher score indicates better quality of life)
Time frame: Baseline (pre-intervention), 4-6 months (after the intervention)
Change from Baseline in Functional Ability at 4-6 months
PROMIS®-29 Profile v2.1 (without 4 questions concerning depression) (t-score; the higher score indicates more measured quality)
Time frame: Baseline (pre-intervention), 4-6 months (after the intervention)
Change from Baseline in Pain at 4-6 months and 8-10 months
5 questions from PROMIS®-29 Profile v2.1 concerning pain and 5 questions concerning musculoskeletal pain characteristics
Time frame: Baseline (pre-intervention), 4-6 months (after the intervention), 8-10 months (4-month follow-up)
Change from Baseline in Return-to-Work Self Efficacy at 4-6 months
Return-to-Work Self Efficacy (RTW-SE), modified version (0-66; the higher score indicates better self efficacy)
Time frame: Baseline (pre-intervention), 4-6 months (after the intervention)
Invidual Goal Achievement
Goal Attainment Scaling method (GAS)
Time frame: 4-6 months (after intervention)
Days Lost Through Sickness
Register-based data concerning sickness allowance. The sickness allowance is paid as compensation for loss of income due to incapacity for work lasting less than a full year. Periods which have lasted ten days or more are available in Kela's register.
Time frame: Between January 1, 2024 and June 30, 2026
Plan to share: No
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Started Jan 2025 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Aug 2026, 19 months after the start.
Of 88 non-industry observational studies under Musculoskeletal Diseases, half reached primary completion within 18 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 6 and three quarters within 60. This study's planned 19 months is close to that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 106 studies reached it within 19 months; a quarter within 6 and three quarters within 72.
Musculoskeletal Diseases covers many different conditions, not one, so the studies compared here vary widely. Read these figures as a rough guide.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.
No contact was published for this record. The registry link below has the sponsor’s details.
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Social Insurance Institution, Finland