Risk factors for delayed return to work following tibial shaft fracture surgery

To determine when patients return to work following operative repair of tibial shaft fractures (TSF) and what risk factors are associated with a delayed return to work (RTW), defined as greater than 180 days after operative repair.

Retrospective chart review was performed on a consecutive series of TSF patients who underwent operative repair. Time to RTW was based on documented work-clearance communications from the operating surgeon. Patients were divided into 3 groups based on when they returned to work: early (≤ 90 days), average (91–80 days), and late (≥ 180 days). Univariate analysis was performed, and significant variables were included in multinomial logistic regression.

There were 168 patients identified. Eighteen were excluded (retired, unemployed, or never returned to work) leaving 150 patients. The average time to RTW for the overall study population was 4.17 ± 2.06 months. There were 39 (26.0%) patients in the early RTW group, 85 (56.7%) in the average RTW group, and 26 (17.3%) in the late RTW group. Patient with high-energy injuries (p = 0.024), open fractures (p = 0.001), initial external-fixation (p = 0.036), labor-intensive job (p = 0.018) and post-operative non-weight bearing status (p = 0.023) all had significantly longer RTW. Multinomial logistic regression including these parameters found a closed fracture was associated with a 1.9 decreased risk of delayed RTW (p = 0.004, 95% CI 0.039–0.533).

Open fractures, initial external-fixation, restricted post-operative weight-bearing and labor-intensive jobs are associated with a delayed RTW following operative repair of TSFs.

Therapeutic Level III.