Back pain/injury and stress are the most commonly cited problems on medical certificates. Research has shown that chiropractic management was ten times cheaper for compensation costs, employees requiring one tenth the number of days off work, compared to medical management. Chiropractic treatment can help you return to work sooner than most other forms of treatment.
Patient management consists of a wide variety of manual therapies including spinal manipulation and rehabilitative exercises to restore joint function. Psychological, as well as musculoskeletal, factors have a part to play in sickness – but simply changing a workstation will not be enough to counteract them. It is suggested that the huge amounts of money paid out by companies – to have employees tested so that their jobs can be matched to their physical capabilities – may be wasted, since there is limited evidence that this reduces back pain or RSI. Physical therapy has far stronger evidence for its efficacy.
The value of the availability of chiropractic services is not limited to the obvious, day-to-day benefits, because by analysing data from the treatment of a significant number of individuals from the same source, feedback to the employer can be used to prevent future injuries and costs and therefore must be viewed as an investment for the company.
