BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal injuries are common after road traffic crash (RTC) and can lead to poor work-related outcomes. This review evaluated the impact of interventions on work-related (eg, sick leave), health, and functional outcomes in individuals with a RTC-related musculoskeletal injury, and explored what factors were associated with work-related outcomes. METHODS: Searches of seven databases were conducted up until 9/03/2023. Eligible interventions included adults with RTC-related musculoskeletal injuries, a comparison group, and a work-related outcome, and were in English. Meta-analyses were conducted using RevMan and meta-regressions in Stata. RESULTS: Studies (n = 27) were predominantly conducted in countries with third-party liability schemes (n = 26), by physiotherapists (n = 17), and in participants with whiplash injuries (94%). Pooled effects in favour of the intervention group were seen overall (SMD -0.14, 95% CI -0.29 to 0.00), for time to return to work (-17.84 days, 95% CI -24.94 to -10.74), likelihood of returning to full duties versus partial duties (RR 1.17, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.36), decreased pain intensity (-6.17 units, 95% CI -11.96 to -0.39, 100-point scale), and neck disability (-1.77 units, 95% CI -3.24 to -0.30, 50-point scale). DISCUSSION: Interventions after RTC can reduce time to return to work and increase the likelihood of returning to normal duties, but the results for these outcomes were based on a small number of studies with low-quality evidence. Further research is needed to evaluate a broader range of interventions, musculoskeletal injury types, and to include better quality work-related outcomes.

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