Work Injury Studies
- Utah Workers' Compensation Study
- Florida Workers' Compensation Study
- California Workers' Compensation Study
- Oregon Workers' Compensation Study
- Australian Workers' Compensation Study
- The Manga Report
The Utah Study - fewer costs and days lost
This
1988 Utah workers' compensation board study found a tenfold savings for
mean
compensation costs in back-related injuries treated by chiropractors
as compared with medical doctors ($68.38 vs. $668.39). To ensure
accurate and true results, only those back-related injuries
with the same diagnostic codes were compared between the two treatment
groups. Also, the medical treatments assessed were limited to
nonsurgical medical treatments only.
- Cost per Case Comparison of Back Injury Claims of Chiropractic versus medical Management for Conditions with Identical Diagnostic Codes. Jarvis KB, et al. Journal of Occupational Medicine - 1991;33:847-52.
The Florida Study - shorter disability, lower costs, and lower hospitalization rates
This
large study - conducted by the State of Florida - examined 10,652
patients who
sustained back-related injuries on the job. Their findings revealed
individuals who received chiropractic care compared with standard
medical care experienced had a (i) 51.3 percent shorter
temporary total disability duration (ii) lower treatment cost by 58.8
percent (iii) 20.3 percent hospitalization rate in the chiropractic care
group vs. 52.2 percent rate in the medical care group.
- An Analysis of Florida Workers' Compensation Medical Claims for Back Related Injuries. Wolk S. Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research, Arlington, VA. - 1988.
The California Study - chiropractic patients get back to work sooner
In
this study, Richard Wolf, MD followed 500 individuals sent for
chiropractic treatments
and 500 individuals sent to medical doctors for treatment. Those who
received chiropractic treatments returned to work in an average of 15.6
days vs. 32 days in those who received treatments from
medical doctors.
- Industrial Back Injury. Wolf CR. International Review of Chiropractic - 1974;26:6-7.
The Oregon Study - chiropractic gets individuals back to work, and fast!
This
Oregon study found that individuals with workers' compensation claims
returned to work
significantly faster under chiropractic care compared with medical
care. In fact, under chiropractic care 82% were able to return to work
after one week compared with only 41% in those who received
medical care.
A Study of Time Loss Back Claims. Portland, OR. Workers' Compensation Board, State of Oregon, March 1971.
The Australian Study
In
this Australian study, 1,996 workers' compensation cases were evaluated
in patients who
experienced work-related mechanical low back pain. It was found that
those individuals who received chiropractic care for their back pain
returned to work 4 times faster (6.26 days vs. 25.56 days)
and had treatment that cost 4 times less ($392 vs. $1,569) than those
who received treatments from medical doctors. Also, in those patients
who received chiropractic care there was a significantly
lower incidence of progression to a chronic low back pain status.
- Mechanical Low-Back Pain: A Comparison of Medical and Chiropractic Management Within the Victorian Work Care Scheme. Ebrall, PS. Chiropractic Journal of Australia - 1992;22:47-53.
The Manga Report - back to work... and fast!
According to this Canadian government commissioned study, "...injured workers ... diagnosed
with low-back pain returned to work much sooner when treated by chiropractors than by physicians."
- The Effectiveness and Cost Effectiveness of Chiropractic Management of Low-Back Pain (The Manga Report). Pran Manga and Associates (1993) - University of Ottawa, Canada.
