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Case
Studies: On-Site Chiropractic Care With tightening economic times, many companies are looking for ways to conserve costs and become more productive with fewer employees. They realize that happy, healthy and safe workers are more efficient workers. This has lead to an increasing number of chiropractors working within industry. Currently, throughout the country D.C.s are giving health classes, performing ergonomic evaluations, providing on-site chiropractic care and many other occupational health-related services. Over the last six years, Dr. Dan Neubauer and I have been helping companies improve their bottom line by providing just such services. Our company, Genesis Health and Wellness Inc, manages on-site programs that allow employees easy access to chiropractic care. This combination of services has led to a significant improvement in the health of employees and businesses alike. Many repetitive stress conditions and workers’ compensation injuries have been avoided as a result of on-site care. The following examples are events that happen on what seem like a weekly occurrence. • John, 38, who operates a saw machine for a cabinet manufacturing company, was a patient who came to me on a Monday morning with low back pain radiating into his right leg. After getting a thorough history and performing an examination on-site, it was determined that while golfing over the weekend he had aggravated a pre-existing low back condition. Alteration of his workstation and a few spinal adjustments resulted in a quick recovery. John commented that if I would not have been on-site he most likely would not have sought chiropractic care and may have tried to suffer through this condition. But instead, he was back to 100 percent in a short time without missing work. It should be noted that the most common time for workers’ compensation injuries to occur is Monday mornings. It my opinion, weekend events greatly affect this statistic. In this case, both John and his employer were extremely pleased. • Pam, 24, does repetitive work with a microscope for a hearing-aid manufacturing company, where I provide on-site health care. She came to me reporting faint discomfort in her right hand and forearm, with minor numbness in the evenings. All orthopedic and neurological tests were negative, but trigger points were found in the extensor muscles. Adjustments to her workstation and additional stretching exercises performed over the next week resolved all symptoms. She avoided a potentially disabling condition, and the company avoided an expensive worker’s compensation case. • Deb, 32, works at a computer in the accounting office for the same hearing-aid manufacturing company. She had suffered for years with headaches. Her clinically diagnosed "tension headaches" interfered with her concentration at work. With great skepticism, she started chiropractic care, and within a few weeks she was headache-free. Now she enjoys her job more and she is better at it. Although D.C.s can recount many success stories from their clinic experience, when they have direct access to patients in the workplace, they have the ability to truly see the effects of early detection and prevention. For those chiropractors interested in providing occupational health services to local businesses, I have five recommendations: 1. Seek additional training in the area of occupational health care. 2. Utilize resources available, such as the International Academy of Chiropractic Occupational Health Consultants (507-455-1025) and the American Chiropractic Association’s Council on Occupational Health. 3. Contact other D.C.s involved in occupational health care. 4. Services should be tailored to meet a company’s specific needs. 5. Stay persistent! Companies can make decisions slowly. Not only can occupational health care expand your practice, but it can improve the health and profitability of people and businesses in your community. Chiropractic has the ability to make an extremely positive affect on local, regional, and national businesses. It is up to us to help them understand how that can be a reality.
About the author: Chad C. Henriksen, D.C., a 1995 graduate of Northwestern College of Chiropractic, is an occupational health consultant who manages a company that develops on-site health-care programs for businesses and industries. Inquiries should be directed to him at Genesis Health and Wellness, Inc., 22 W. Main St., Waconia, MN 55387; or call (952) 442-1234; or E-mail drchad@genesiswellness.com.
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