Table 1 Inclusion and exclusion criteria

• Employees with MSDs, CMDs, or a combination. They may have additional disorders

• Age 18 to 60 years

• Sick leave for at least 6 weeks, either in one continuous period or several periods during the last 12 months, related to actual health complaints

• Sufficient Norwegian language skills to fill out questionnaires

• Severe psychological disorders (e.g., schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder, or personality disorders)

• Substance addiction

• Pregnancy

• More than two years out of work