Today’s issue of WorkCompRecapfeatures the release of a new study from WCRI that found for injured workers with low back pain (LBP) only injuries, early initiation of PT is associated with lower utilization and costs of medical services and shorter duration of temporary disability (TD).
Key findings from the study included that later timing of PT initiation was associated with longer TD duration, and on average, the number of TD weeks per claim was 58% longer for those with PT starting more than 30 days postinjury and 24% longer for those starting 15-30 days postinjury, compared with claims with PT within 3 days postinjury. Workers whose PT treatment started more than 30 days postinjury were 46% and 47% more likely to receive opioid prescriptions and MRI, respectively.
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