Work-related therapy for the injured reduces return-to-work barriers.

A work hardening program such as the one Mary experienced is designed to assist with case resolution and maximum rehabilitation as expediently and cost effectively as possible. For the worker who cannot successfully return to work due to injury or illness, work hardening is a means of determining what the barriers are to returning to work. As case history showed these barriers often are much more than physical. However, this does not mean that the worker has deep rooted psychological problems. Most of the time, the worker is demonstrating a normal situational reaction to the injury, and once identified, the issues can be resolved expediently.