At the Marc Bony Chiropractic Center in Mataró, we address workplace absenteeism using effective chiropractic techniques. Find out how we can help you improve your spinal health and your work performance.
Work Absenteeism and Chiropractic Care
There isn't really a specific type of injury, although the most common is a neck and back injury, which accounts for 90% accounts for most work-related injuries.
Repetitive-stress injuries, including carpal tunnel syndrome, are also conditions we treat on a regular basis. They are also the leading cause of absenteeism and the largest expense for companies in terms of workers' compensation.
Other common injuries include: knee, hip, and joint injuries; rotator cuff injuries; and a variety of back and neck sprains and strains.
Many jobs require workers to perform the the same movement dozens, hundreds, or thousands of times each month. These repetitive movements often result in cumulative trauma. This is also known as a Gillette injury and is classified as a work-related injury. The onset of this type of injury is often gradual. Injuries that develop over time can actually be much worse than a sudden fracture or other workplace injury. The severity of the injury is not always immediately apparent.
The main goal is to help patients return to their jobs, but never before they are truly physically ready. It is important to receive proper care after a work-related injury, not only to relieve pain, but also to help the patient regain comfortable, pain-free function. Without proper treatment, a work-related injury is more likely to recur later on.
Work Absenteeism and Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic Care and Work-Related Injuries
Chiropractic care remains one of the leading treatment options for work-related injuries. Research studies sponsored by more than a dozen state governments have shown time and again that chiropractic care is more than twice as effective. And it gets injured workers back on the job with half the disability and at half the cost.
- If you are the employer, it would make sense to require that all injured workers be seen by a chiropractor first.
Work absenteeism and chiropractic care are more than twice as effective at helping injured workers return to work with half the disability and at half the cost
STUDIES ON WORK-RELATED COMPENSATION
THE UTAH STUDY : lower costs and fewer lost workdays
This 1988 study by the Utah Workers' Compensation Board revealed that the average cost savings for back-related injuries treated by chiropractors was ten times greater than that for injuries treated by conventional physicians ($ 68.38 versus $ 668.39).
To ensure accurate and reliable results, only back-related injuries with the same diagnostic codes were compared between the two treatment groups. In addition, the medical treatments evaluated were limited to nonsurgical treatments only.
Study: Comparative Cost per Case of Back Injury Claims for Chiropractic Care Versus Medical Treatment for Conditions with Identical Diagnostic Codes. Jarvis KB, et al. Journal of Occupational Medicine – 1991; 33: 847–52.
THE FLORIDA STUDY : less disability, lower costs, and lower hospitalization rates
A large study conducted by the State of Florida in the U.S. examined 10,652 patients who suffered work-related back injuries. The findings revealed that, compared to those receiving conventional medical care, patients who received chiropractic care experienced (I) a 51.3% reduction in the total duration of temporary disability and (II) a 58.8% lower treatment cost (III) a 20.3% hospitalization rate in the chiropractic care group compared to a 52.2 percentage rate in the conventional medical care group.
Study: Analysis of Medical Claims for Workers’ Compensation for Back-Related Injuries in the State of Florida. Wolk S. Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research, Arlington, VA. – 1988.
THE CALIFORNIA STUDY: Chiropractic patients return to work sooner
In this study, Richard Wolf, MD, followed a group of 500 people referred for chiropractic treatment and another group of 500 people referred to conventional physicians for treatment. Those who received chiropractic treatment returned to work in an average of 15.6 days, while those who received treatment from doctors returned to work in 32 days.
Study: Work-Related Back Injury. Wolf CR. International Journal of Chiropractic – 1974; 26: 6-7.
THE OREGON STUDY : the Chiropractic care gets people back to work—and fast!
This study from Oregon found that people with workers' compensation claims returned to work significantly faster under chiropractic care compared to conventional medical care. In fact, under chiropractic care, 82% were able to return to work after one week, compared with only 41% among those who received medical care.
Study: Claims for Lost Time. Portland, OR. Workers' Compensation Board, State of Oregon, March 1971.
THE AUSTRALIAN STUDY
In this study, 1,996 workers' compensation cases involving patients with work-related mechanical low back pain were evaluated. It was found that individuals who received chiropractic care for back pain returned to work 4 times faster (6.26 days versus 25.56 days) and received treatment that cost 4 times less ($ 392 vs. $ 1,569) than those who received treatment from conventional physicians. Furthermore, patients who received chiropractic care had a significantly lower incidence of progression to a chronic state of low back pain.
Study: Mechanical low back pain: a comparison of medical and chiropractic management within the Victorian Workplace Health and Safety Scheme. Ebrall, PS. Chiropractic Journal of Australia – 1992; 22: 47-53.
THE MANGA REPORT – Get back to work… and hurry up!
According to this study commissioned by the Canadian government, «…workers who were injured and diagnosed with low back pain returned to work much sooner when treated by chiropractors than when treated by conventional physicians.».
Study: Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Chiropractic Treatment for Low Back Pain (Manga Report). Pran Manga and Associates (1993) – University of Ottawa, Canada.
Chiropractic care treats injured workers and gets them back to work quickly, with lower treatment costs and fewer disability claims compared to many other forms of treatment.
