Work Injuries

Facts you should know about work related Neck and Back injuries.

          Back pain is the top worker compensation claim and second only to the common cold in sick benefits (Fisher & Reed, 1996)

Injured at Work?
  • When cause for this pain was sought, 78% reported a repeated activity, a single injury or both; two-thirds of those injuries were reported to have occurred at work (National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine, 2001)
  • Back pain of any type accounted for ~149 million lost workdays, of which 68% were work-related injuries (National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine, 2001)
  • Approximation of costs for all musculoskeletal injuries may be $45 billion annually for both direct and indirect cost; this may be an under-representation due to data inconsistencies (National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine, 2001)
  • Indirect costs, which are sometimes difficult to place monetary values on, include: lost productivity, uncompensated wage losses, personal losses (i.e., household services, administration of programs, lost tax revenue, social security replacement benefits, family strain, etc.)

How Can Chiropractic Help You Get Back To Work?

As the largest existing analysis of scientific literature on low back pain(THE MANGA REPORT) , the 1993 Ontario Ministry of Health commissioned study drew international attention when it recommended the management of low back pain be moved from medical doctors to chiropractic doctors.

 Due to serious financial problems within the Canadian governments, different types of treatments for low back conditions were evaluated in an effort to reduce and contain health care costs. Their findings showed chiropractic manipulation was the most cost effective and efficacious care for low back pain.

The report concluded with the following findings:

  • The researchers also stated that studies on the prevalence and incidence of low back pain suggest that it is the leading cause of disability and morbidity in middle-aged persons, and is by far the most expensive source of workers’
    Chiropractic Care

    costs North America.

  • The Magna ReportOn the evidence, particularly the most scientifically valid clinical studies, spinal manipulation applied by chiropractors is shown to be more effective than alternative treatments for low back pain. Many medical therapies are of questionable validity or are clearly inadequate.

    There is no clinical or case-control study that demonstrates or even implies that chiropractic spinal manipulation is unsafe in the treatment of low back pain. Some medical treatments are equally safe, but others are unsafe and generate iatrogenic (doctor-induced) complications for low back pain patients. Our reading of the literature suggests that chiropractic manipulation is safer than medical management of low back pain;

    Indeed, several existing medical therapies of low back pain are generally contraindicated on the basis of the existing clinical trials. There is also some evidence in the literature to suggest that spinal manipulations are less safe and less effective when performed by non-chiropractic professionals;

    There is an overwhelming body of evidence indicating that chiropractic management of low back pain is more cost-effective than medical management;

    There would be highly significant cost savings if more management of low back pain was transferred from physicians to chiropractors. Evidence from Canada and other countries suggests potential savings of many hundreds of millions annually;

    Workers’ compensation studies report that injured workers with the same specific diagnosis of low back pain returned to work much sooner when treated by chiropractors than by medical physicians;

    There is good empirical evidence that patients are very satisfied with chiropractic management of low back pain and considerably less satisfied with medical physician management;

    The use of chiropractic has grown steadily over the years and chiropractors are now accepted as a legitimate healing profession by the public and an increasing number of medical physicians;

    In our view, the following offers an overwhelming case in favor of much greater use of chiropractic services in the management of low back pain:

    • the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of chiropractic management of low back pain
    • the untested, questionable or harmful nature of many current medical therapies
    • the economic efficiency of chiropractic care for low back pain compared with medical care
    • the safety of chiropractic care
    • the higher satisfaction levels expressed by patients of chiropractors.

If you are injured while working and feel you are not getting better do not risk your health.   Immediately after an accident or you injure yourself while working report your incident to your employer. Let them know what happen and make sure they document your complaint. This action must be taken as soon as possible after the injury. It then becomes your employer’s responsibility to report the injury to State Labor Department or Other Self-Insured Insurance.

Your employer has the right to send you to their doctor of choice for evaluation, but you have the right to go to your own doctor of choice for an evaluation and treatment of your injury. New Hope Family Chiropractic has been very successful in treating workers comp cases getting back to work quickly or in many case treating them while they continue to work.  401-433-3600

I have a major lighting fixture manufacture in Fallriver that sends me their employees because they have found that chiropractic treatments get their employees back to work quicker without re-injury.  In our experience with industrial and occupational injuries, we know how important it is for you and your employer to return to work quickly with as complete of a recovery as possible. I also offer Back Injury Prevention Classes to employers to educate employers and employees on how to avoid back injuries. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure both the employer and employee. If you are interested in my Back Prevention Classes services call today 401-433-3600.