WORK-RELATED INJURIES
Workers’ Compensation is a term used by the State, your employer and your doctor to describe the process of care to be taken when you are injured at work. On-the-job injuries in our highly industrialized society occur with far more frequency than most of us realize. Let’s examine the facts about some of these common mishaps and what can be done to relieve their often painful consequences.
COST FACTORS
When someone is injured on the job, the cost affects many others besides the accident victim. Obviously, the injured employee suffers a loss of earning power for as long as he or she is out of action. But the employer loses too, in manpower and productivity. Then there is the insurance company which must pay out for health care costs and disability benefits for as long as the employee is unable to work. Work-related injuries cost the American economy billions of dollars each year. And there is another vast cost unrelated to dollar and cents – the pain and suffering experienced by those who are disabled.
TYPES OF INJURIES
One of the most common disabling injuries on the job is strain and sprain of the back or spine or reparative motion injury such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Most of us have heard of someone who has suffered from it, or perhaps experienced it ourselves. Most frequently the strain or sprain occurs in the lower back. Bending and lifting improperly are responsible for most of these cases, although neck and mid-back injuries can also occur in similar situations. Strains and sprains to the back can be extremely disabling. Often these injuries force individuals to severely limit their activities or confine themselves completely to bed.
CHIROPRACTIC TREATMENT
The doctor of chiropractic is a specialist in spinal musculo-skeletal disorders. He or she is expertly trained to diagnose and treat the many musculoskeletal injuries that may occur on the job. Statistics indicate that the amount of suffering, time lost from work and cost of treatment are all significantly reduced when injured person receives chiropractic care.
The doctor of chiropractic stresses maintaining the mechanical integrity of the spine. Upon injury, the individual often alters the normal position or flexibility of the spinal vertebrae. Chiropractic treatment is designed to restore normal alignment and thus minimize pain and suffering. Gentile manipulative therapy or “adjustment” is often effective in rapidly returning the injured person to a productive status.
The doctor of chiropractic can also provide guidance with advice designed to reduce work-related injuries. The proper lifting procedures and the therapeutic stretching exercises he can suggest may prove helpful in preventing future injuries
MANY CAN BENEFIT
As mentioned, a lot of people suffer when someone is hurt on the job. Chiropractic care has been shown to be effective in relieving pain and suffering for the injured worker quickly and easily; getting him or her back on the job sooner; reducing productivity lost to the employer; and cutting down on the overall cost of treatment.
If you are injured on the job, a chiropractic consultation with Dr. Burt should be seriously considered.
NOTICE: Making a false or fraudulent worker’s compensation claim is a felony subject to up to five years in prison or a fine of up to $ 50,000 or double the value of the fraud, whichever is greater, or by both imprisonment and fine.