Objective: This study explored and analysed how patients experienced possibilities for, and barriers to, work return after participation in a multi-professional pain-rehabilitation program followed by a coached work-training program (CWT). Participants: Eleven informants (8 women/3 men) with long-term musculoskeletal pain who had participated in the CWT program for 4-21 months (mean = 11) comprised the study. Methods: A qualitative emergent design was used. Data collected with interviews were analysed using the constant comparison method of grounded theory. Triangulation in researchers were used. Results: The analyses of the interviews resulted in the development of a three-category theoretical model, which was named "a way back to work". The main category "Experience of a way back to work" consisted of the informants' experience during the process between unemployment and employment. The category "Support" describes the help the informants received from various actors, and the category "Negative response" describes negative responses from the actors involved, which was an important barrier in the process between unemployment and employment. Conclusion: Professional individualised support, participants feeling involved in their rehabilitation process, coaching at real workplaces and multi-professional team including health care personnel, were valuable during the process towards work.

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of a virtual reality exercise intervention within an interdisciplinary rehabilitation programme for persons with chronic neck pain. The effects of the intervention on symptom severity, variables related to chronic neck pain, and patients' experience of exercises were assessed. Methods: Nine women and 3 men participated in a 6-week virtual reality exercise intervention during an interdisciplinary rehabilitation programme. Symptom severity was rated before and after each session of virtual reality exercise, using questionnaires before and after the interdisciplinary rehabilitation programme, and questions about participants' experiences. Results: Neck pain symptoms increased temporarily during the exercises, but no lasting deterioration was found after the interdisciplinary rehabilitation programme. Depression, pain interference, pain control, sleep and kinesiophobia improved significantly after the programme. Participants experienced that the virtual reality exercises increased motivation to exercise and provided a focus other than pain. However, the equipment was heavy; and exercising was tiring and reminded them of their challenges. Conclusion: This study indicates that virtual reality exercises as part of an interdisciplinary rehabilitation programme are feasible and safe for patients with chronic neck pain. Pain symptoms may increase temporarily during the exercises. Virtual reality exercises may support participants by increasing motivation to exercise and providing helpful feedback. Further research into the added value of virtual reality exercises in an interdisciplinary rehabilitation programme for patients with chronic neck pain is warranted.