Treatment and assessment

Learn what primary treatment is, the importance of returning workers to work and what to do if a worker’s recovery doesn’t go as expected.

Treatment philosophy

The WCB supports a functional restoration approach that promotes a return to normal activity, including work, in a safe manner. Passive care is discouraged. The goals are to:

  • Maximize the injured worker’s functional abilities to the pre-injury condition, if possible.
  • Enable an early return to work, with the pre-injury employer, if possible.

The functional rehabilitation model of care is encouraged because it:

  • Uses the restoration of function as the first measure of treatment success.
  • Encourages care providers and clients to recognize that successful long-term recovery is associated with return to function, even in the presence of increasing symptoms where there are no objective signs of harm.
  • Is supported by significant evidence-based literature.

Get in touch with us

Looking to contact the WCB? We're here to help.

Child page group heading
Learn more about primary treatment and the recovery process