Workers' Comp News

Physical Therapy Reduces Lost Time from Back Injuries

The use of early physical therapy following a back injury can lead to reductions in doctor visits, missed work days and workers' compensation costs, according to a new study.

The researchers found that "the sports medicine approach to rehabilitation, with its emphasis on early intervention and function restoration," can be a very effective way to treat work-related low-back injuries.

The study found that workers who had their first physical therapy session the day of their injury or the next day were substantially better off than those who waited two to seven days or eight days or more before their first treatment session.

The early-intervention group missed fewer workdays and had fewer days of restricted work duty than the other two groups of injured workers.