Back

What Works for Workers with Injuries?

You've heard the old saying, "If it isn't broken, don't fix it." But what if it's not working at all? Take for example the way work-related back and arm pain is managed. Some think that getting treatment right away isn't any better than standard treatment for these problems.

Even standard treatment is coming under fire. Care and costs for work-related injuries have gone up and up without a decrease in disability. Authors of a study on this subject in 1997 claimed that "new treatments treat too many, too soon, for too long."

It has been suggested that we work on injury prevention and emotional support to return workers quickly back to the job. These may have a better result at a much lower cost. Researchers in Canada studied this proposal. The program included simple exercises, encouragement to get back on the job, and assurances of a good prognosis.

The authors of the study report that workers who had early treatment had the greatest costs and most time loss. For example, those who were sent to physical therapy and work hardening programs didn't get back to work for six to 10 weeks. This increased the costs greatly.

It may be that an early referral for work-related injuries isn't always the best option. The authors think that many workers would have recovered faster without treatment. They are quick to add that early treatment may still be a useful tool. The key is to find those patients who have a better result with early intervention.

In the meantime, reassurance and social support, along with exercises and encouragement after injury may be all that are needed. Combined with a quick return to work, these methods may result in lower costs and fewer days of work lost.

References: Mark Lemstra, MSc, and W. P. Olszynski, MD, PhD, FRCP(C). The Effectiveness of Standard Care, Early Intervention, and Occupational Management in Worker's Compensation Claims. In Spine. February 1, 2003. Vol. 28. No. 3. Pp. 299-304.

Back