Workers’ Compensation

Chiropractic Care for Workers with Low Back Pain

By Frank M. Painter|December 31, 2023|Chiropractic Management, Cost-Effectiveness of Chiropractic, Workers' Compensation|

Chiropractic Care for Workers with Low Back Pain

The Chiro.Org Blog

SOURCE: Workers Compensation Research Institute (May 17, 2022)
Dongchun Wang, Kathryn Mueller, Randall Lea, M.D., Donald R. Murphy

Related Topics: Medical Costs, Outcomes for Injured Workers, Physical Medicine, Utilization

Cambridge, MA, May 17, 2022 — Today, the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) announced the release of a new study on chiropractic care for low back pain. The study reveals substantial variation in the use of chiropractic care across 28 states and offers insights into the patterns and outcomes of chiropractic care.

“Chiropractors often participate in the delivery of physical medicine services for low back pain, but few workers received chiropractic care in states where employers or insurers control the selection of providers,” said John Ruser, WCRI’s president and CEO. “This study will be helpful for policymakers and stakeholders who are interested in re-evaluating the role of chiropractors, especially those who have been adopting evidence-based practices and contributing to cost-effective care.”

This study, Chiropractic Care for Workers with Low Back Pain, describes the prevalence of chiropractic care and provider patterns of physical medicine treatment for workers with low back pain. It provides some evidence as to how different provider patterns of physical medicine treatment are associated with variations in overall medical and indemnity costs, and the duration of temporary disability. The study also looks at the utilization of medical services, including magnetic imaging studies, opioid prescriptions, and pain management injections.

The following is a sample of the study’s key findings:

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Compliance with Clinical Practice Guidelines in Family Physicians Managing Worker’s Compensation Board Patients with Acute Lower Back Pain

By Frank M. Painter|November 23, 2022|Chiropractic Management, Workers' Compensation|

Compliance with Clinical Practice Guidelines in Family Physicians Managing Worker’s Compensation Board Patients with Acute Lower Back Pain

The Chiro.Org Blog

SOURCE: Spine J 2003 (Nov); 3 (6): 442–450

Paul B. Bishop, DC, MD, PhD, Peter C. Wing, MB, MSc, ChB, FRCS(C)

Combined Neurosurgical and Orthopaedic Spine Program,
Heather Pavilion, Vancouver General Hospital,
Vancouver, BC, Canada

Background context: Family physician compliance with acute lower back pain clinical practice guidelines remains uncertain.

Purpose: To determine the degree of guideline compliance of family physicians managing patients with workers’ compensation claims and acute mechanical lower back pain.

Study design: Observational study.

Patient sample: One hundred thirty-nine family physicians in British Columbia.

Outcome measures: Compliance with guideline recommendations for history, examination procedures, diagnostic testing and treatments.

Methods: Physician workers’ compensation board patient reports for acute lower back pain without leg symptoms and not greater than 2 to 3 weeks duration were scored for guideline adherence up until 12 weeks after onset.

Results: Physicians demonstrated a high degree of compliance with the guideline-recommended history, examination procedures and medications, but low compliance with recommended imaging and many treatment recommendations.

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Relationship Between Early Prescription Dispensing Patterns

By Frank M. Painter|May 22, 2019|Workers' Compensation|

Relationship Between Early Prescription Dispensing Patterns and Work Disability in a Cohort of Low Back Pain Workers’ Compensation Claimants: A Historical Cohort Study

The Chiro.Org Blog

SOURCE: Occup Environ Med. 2019 (May 15) [Epub]

Nancy Carnide, Sheilah Hogg-Johnson, Mieke Koehoorn, Andrea D Furlan1, Pierre Côté

Institute for Work and Health,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

OBJECTIVES: To examine and compare whether dispensing of prescription opioids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and skeletal muscle relaxants (SMRs) within 8 weeks after a work-related low back pain (LBP) injury is associated with work disability.

METHODS: A historical cohort study of 55 571 workers’ compensation claimants with LBP claims in British Columbia from 1998 to 2009 was conducted using linked compensation, dispensing and healthcare data. Four exposures were constructed to estimate the effect on receipt of benefits and days on benefits 1 year after injury: drug class(es) dispensed, days’ supply, strength of opioids dispensed and average daily morphine-equivalent dose.

RESULTS: Compared with claimants receiving NSAIDs and/or SMRs, the incidence rate ratio (IRR) of days on benefits was 1.09 (95% CI 1.04 to 1.14) for claimants dispensed opioids only and 1.26 (95% CI 1.22 to 1.30) for claimants dispensed opioids with NSAIDs and/or SMRs. Compared with weak opioids only, the IRR for claimants dispensed strong opioids only or strong and weak opioids combined was 1.21 (95% CI 1.12 to 1.30) and 1.29 (95% CI 1.20 to 1.39), respectively. The incident rate of days on benefits associated with each 7-day increase in days supplied of opioids, NSAIDs and SMRs was 10%, 4% and 3%, respectively. Similar results were seen for receipt of benefits, though effect sizes were larger.

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Chiropractors Contribute to Work Disability Prevention

By Frank M. Painter|January 20, 2019|Chiropractic Care, Return To Work, Workers' Compensation|

Can Chiropractors Contribute to Work Disability Prevention Through Sickness Absence Management for Musculoskeletal Disorders? – A Comparative Qualitative Case Study in the Scandinavian Context

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SOURCE: Chiropractic & Manual Therapies 2018 (Apr 26); 26: 15

Mette Jensen Stochkendahl, Ole Kristoffer Larsen, Casper Glissmann Nim, Iben Axén, Julia Haraldsson, Ole Christian Kvammen, and Corrie Myburgh

Nordic Institute of Chiropractic and Clinical Biomechanics,
Campusvej 55, DK-5230
Odense M, Denmark.

BACKGROUND: Despite extensive publication of clinical guidelines on how to manage musculoskeletal pain and back pain in particular, these efforts have not significantly translated into decreases in work disability due to musculoskeletal pain. Previous studies have indicated a potential for better outcomes by formalized, early referral to allied healthcare providers familiar with occupational health issues. Instances where allied healthcare providers of comparable professional characteristics, but with differing practice parameters, can highlight important social and organisational strategies useful for informing policy and practice. Currently, Norwegian chiropractors have legislated sickness certification rights, whereas their Danish and Swedish counterparts do not. Against the backdrop of legislative variation, we described, compared and contrasted the views and experiences of Scandinavian chiropractors engaging in work disability prevention and sickness absence management.

METHODS: This study was embedded in a two-phased, sequential exploratory mixed-methods design. In a comparative qualitative case study design, we explored the experience of chiropractors regarding sickness absence management drawn from face-to-face, semi-structured interviews. We subsequently coded and thematically restructured their experiences and perceptions.

RESULTS: Twelve interviews were conducted. Thematically, chiropractors’ capacity to support patients in sickness absence management revolved around four key issues: issues of legislation and politics; the rationale for being a sickness absence management partner; whether an integrated sickness absence management pathway existed/could be created; and finally, the barriers to service provision for sickness absence management.

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Managing Sickness Absence of Patients

By Frank M. Painter|January 19, 2019|Return To Work, Workers' Compensation|

Managing Sickness Absence of Patients with Musculoskeletal Pain – A Cross-sectional Survey of Scandinavian Chiropractors

The Chiro.Org Blog

SOURCE: Chiropractic & Manual Therapies 2019 (Jan 11); 27: 1

Mette Jensen Stochkendahl, Casper Glissmann Nim, Eleanor Boyle, Ole Kristoffer Larsen, Iben Axén, Ole Christian Kvammen and Corrie Myburgh

Nordic Institute of Chiropractic and Clinical Biomechanics,
Campusvej 55, DK-5230
Odense M, Denmark.

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal pain is a major cause of work disability. Many patients with musculoskeletal pain seek care from health care providers other than their general practitioners, including a range of musculoskeletal practitioners. Therefore, these musculoskeletal practitioners may play a key role by engaging in sickness absence management and work disability prevention. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal practitioners’ practice behaviours, and their perceptions and beliefs about sickness absence management by using Scandinavian chiropractors as an example, as well as to examine the association between these characteristics and two different practice behaviours.

METHODS: As part of a mixed-methods study, we surveyed members of the national chiropractic associations in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden in 2016. Descriptive statistics were used to describe prevalence. Multilevel logistic regression with backwards stepping was used to estimate odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals between each of the two practice behaviours and the characteristics.

RESULTS: Out of the 802 respondents (response rate 56%), 372 were Danish, 349 Norwegian, and 81 Swedish. In Denmark and Norway, 38.7 and 37.8% always/often considered if sick leave was appropriate for their patient compared to 21.0% in Sweden (p = 0.007); and 86.5% of the Norwegian chiropractors always/often recommended to return-to-work versus 64.5 and 66.7% in Denmark and Sweden respectively (p < 0.001). In the final models, factors associated with the two practice behaviours were age, level of clinical experience, working as a teacher, the tendency to be updated on current legislations and policies using social services, contact with general practitioners, relevance of engagement in SAM, consideration of workplace factors, SAM as part of the clinical tool box, patient out-of-pocket fee, and recommending fast return-to-work.

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