PURPOSE: To investigate whether improvement of range of motion (ROM) in persons with musculoskeletal disorders, mainly neck and back pain, was associated with a favourable development regarding physical disability, pain, and health-related quality of life (QoL), and whether such development differed between sick-listed and non-sick-listed persons during and up to 2 years after a multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme.

METHODS: Ten persons with full-time sick leave (Group I) and 49 with part-time or no sick leave (Group II) at the end of a previous study participated. It was shown in that study that Group I had higher pain rating and higher subjective physical disability than Group II, with little or no improvement during and after rehabilitation. In the present study, all participants were evaluated with neck and back mobility tests: Disability Rating Index (DRI); Pain Intensity Rating on a visual analogue scale (VAS); and Global Self-Efficacy Index (GSI).

RESULTS: Cervical and thoracolumbar spine ROM were lower in Group I than in Group II from the start of rehabilitation to a 2-year follow-up. Only Group II showed a temporal improvement in ROM. No changes in DRI, VAS or GSI were found in parallel with corresponding temporal changes in any of the ROM.

CONCLUSION: Group II but not Group I improved in active ROM during rehabilitation; further, in Group I active ROM in the cervical and thoracolumbar spine did not improve during the 2-year follow-up. Improvement of ROM showed no correlation with physical disability, pain or QoL.