Table 1 Subject characteristics.
| Entire sample | Specific Injury | Less specific Injury | |
|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 336) | (n = 185) | (n = 151) | |
| Mean (SD) or % | |||
| Age (years) | 45 (11.2) | 45 (12.1) | 44 (9.9) |
| Days between injury and admission* | 468 (720) | 611† (897) | 292† (335) |
| Functional capacity evaluation* (out of 15) | 7.1 (3.2) | 7.6 (3.3) | 6.4 (3.1) |
| Waist‐to‐overhead lift (kg) | 10.1 (6.8) | 10.1 (7.2) | 10.0 (6.2) |
| % Pain Disability Index | 46.6 (20.5) | 46.6 (21.6) | 46.6 (19.1) |
| Pain visual analogue scale (out of 10) | 4.9 (2.3) | 4.7 (2.4) | 5.1 (2.1) |
| Previous WCB upper extremity claims* | 2.1 (2.1) | 2.4 (2.1) | 1.9 (2.1) |
| Number of previous health visits* | 54 (48.7) | 65 (55.2) | 41 (35.1) |
| Gross annual salary ($ thousands) | 35.0 (19.6) | 36 (21.7) | 33 (16.6) |
| Male* | 71 | 84 | 55 |
| Right hand dominant | 92 | 90 | 95 |
| Side of injury* | |||
| Right | 53 | 51 | 56 |
| Left | 35 | 45 | 24 |
| Bilateral | 11 | 4 | 21 |
| Employed* | 66 | 56 | 77 |
| English primary language | 92 | 93 | 91 |
| Physical job demands | |||
| Limited (<5 kg) | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| Light (5–9 kg) | 22 | 21 | 24 |
| Medium (10–20 kg) | 41 | 38 | 44 |
| Heavy (>20 kg) | 29 | 33 | 23 |
| FCE clinician recommended fit to work* | 55 | 61 | 49 |
*Statistically significant difference between specific and less specific groups (p<0.05).
†Median 307.
‡Median 160.