Table 1 Content and timing of the questionnaires and outcome measurements

Subjective recovery

Global Perceived Effect (GPE) [14, 15]

X

X

X

X

Complaint specific functioning

Disability of Arm Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire (DASH) [13]

X

X

X

X

Severity of complaints in previous week

11-point numerical rating scale [16]

X

X

X

X

Putative prognostic determinants

Fear-avoidance beliefs about physical activity and work

Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ) [17]

X

Catastrophizing

Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) [18–20]

X

Psychosocial job characteristics

Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) [21]

X

Physical workload

Dutch Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (DMQ) [22, 23]

X

Perceived handicap

Impact on Participation and Autonomy questionnaire (IPA) [32]

X

Socio-demographic factors

Age, sex, body mass index (calculated from self-reported weight and height), ethnicity (open question), right-/left- handedness, smoking behavior (smoking every day, smoking now and then, not smoking but previously every day, not smoking but previously now and then, never smoked), marital status (unmarried/never been married, married/living together, widow, divorced), pregnancy, having children below 5 years of age in the household, educational level and work status, number of working hours per week (paid activities), working < 3 years in current job, profession (open question), study activities (are you a fulltime student?)

X

Complaint characteristics

Questions on complaint characteristics (Did you experience the same complaints of arm, neck or shoulder during the last six months for at least one week? How long do you have these complaints? Did the complaints occur sudden or did they develop gradually? What do you think is the cause of your complaints? Has a doctor or any health professional ever diagnosed one or more of the following complaints? (A list of the complaints that are classified as specific CANS, according to the CANS model, will be included) Did you use any medication to relieve your complaints during the past three months (over the counter or prescription)? Do you have any other musculoskeletal complaints? Are you currently under treatment of a health-care professional for these complaints?

X

Co-morbidity

Question about co-morbidity (Are you familiar with other diseases or disorders besides the CANS?)

X

Work-related factors

Questions about work and sick leave due to CANS (Were you absent in the past six months because of CANS ? If yes, how many days were you absent because of CANS? Did you adapt your activities at work or study due to CANS? Do your complaints return or worsen during work or study? Do the complaints diminish after several days of work or study?)

X

Physical activity during leisure time

Questions about type of physical activity and how often (Do you participate in sports during one hour or more each week? Do you accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity on at least five days of the week (Norm of Healthy Activity) [33]? How frequent do you perform the following physical activities: housekeeping, gardening, do-it-yourself work, computer use, playing a musical instrument, taking care of small children (< 5 yrs) or disabled persons and handcrafts (seldom/ sometimes/ always)

X