Musculoskeletal Work Injuries Cost US Nearly $54 Billion Annually – (01-25-01)

Musculoskeletal Work Injuries Cost US Nearly $54 Billion Annually

This one is, of course, near and dear to my heart. Unfortunately, many musculoskeletal injuries manage to go on long after they could’ve been resolved. Many studies prove chiropractic’s efficacy and cost-effectiveness with these types of injuries, and yet the majority of these patients do not see DCs. I know personally that carpal tunnel problems, usually considered a serious and expensive condition, can respond very rapidly with little cost and intervention using trigger point therapy and mobilization of the carpal bones.

(article) Occupational musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) of the lower back and extremities affect 1 million US workers each year, costing the nation as much as $54 billion in compensation expenditures, lost wages and decreased productivity, according to a new report from the National research Council and the Institute of Medicine. Well-designed intervention programs can reduce MSDs associated with heavy lifting, repetitive and forceful motions, stressful work environments and other factors, according to the report released Wednesday. But the report cautioned that such programs must be adapted to address specific injuries, organizations, equipment and company procedures. The cost of work-related MSDs could be reduced between 25% and 50% in some instances with interventions, Dr. Jeremiah Barondess, chair of the panel that wrote the report and president of the New York Academy of Medicine, told Reuters Health. However, the scientific literature is “not very good” of the cost-benefit of such interventions, Dr. Barondess said. Among its recommendations, the panel said that more efforts to compare intervention outcomes are needed. “Everybody potentially faces some of these problems,” said panel member Dr. David Wegman, professor and chair of the department of work environment at the University of Massachusetts College of Engineering, in Lowell. MSDs “are not uniquely caused by work, but work is an important component and dominant component,” he pointed out in an interview with Reuters Health. Although workers in nearly all jobs are susceptible to MSDs, construction work, carpentry, operation of industrial truck or tractor equipment, nursing or nursing support, and cleaning and janitorial work are among the highest-risk jobs, the report noted.