"How You need to get Treated Properly For Work-Related Injuries"

Work injuries are very common in todays workplace due to the repetitive nature of most peoples jobs.  Carpal tunnel, shoulder injuries, low back sprains are just some of the most common issues encountered.  As a South Dakota resident, you have the right to choose your own doctor. As a result you do not need to see the company doctor.

 The Cause

Most injuries in the workplace are caused from repetitive use of a certain part of your body on a daily basis.  For example, carpal tunnel is very common amongst office workers who constantly type all day long.  The repetitive motion with very little rest causes friction and inflammation to build up in the wrist.  This leads to the nerve getting pinched off causing numbness and tingling and eventually loss of strength.

Other causes can stem from slipping and falling, lifting objects that are too heavy with the wrong mechanics.  If these mechanical issues are corrected, there is a very low chance of a reoccurence.

THE UTAH STUDY - fewer costs and days lost 

This 1988 Utah workers' compensation board study found a tenfold savings for mean compensation costs in back-related injuries treated by chiropractors as compared with medical doctors ($68.38 vs. $668.39). To ensure accurate and true results, only those back-related injuries with the same diagnostic codes were compared between the two treatment groups. Also, the medical treatments assessed were limited to nonsurgical medical treatments only.

THE FLORIDA STUDY- shorter disability/lower costs/lower hospitalization rates

This large State of Florida study examined 10,652 patients who sustained back-related injuries on the job. Their findings revealed that individuals who received chiropractic care compared with standard medical care for similar diagnoses experienced had a (i) 51.3 percent shorter temporary total disability duration (ii) lower treatment cost by 58.8 percent ($558 vs. $1,100 per case) (iii) 20.3 percent hospitalization rate in the chiropractic care group vs. 52.2 percent rate in the medical care group.

An Analysis of Florida Workers' Compensation Medical Claims for Back Related Injuries. Wolk S. Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research, Arlington, VA. - 1988.

 

THE MANGA REPORT- back to work... and fast

According to this Canadian government commissioned study,

"...injured workers ... diagnosed with low-back pain returned to work much sooner when treated by chiropractors than by physicians."

The Effectiveness and Cost Effectiveness of Chiropractic Management of Low-Back Pain (The Manga Report). Pran Manga and Associates (1993) - University of Ottawa, Canada.