As an increasing number of workers with injuries receive physical medicine treatment, of which chiropractic care may be a large part, this study describes the prevalence of chiropractic care and provider patterns of physical medicine treatment for workers with low back pain. It provides some evidence as to how different provider patterns of physical medicine treatment are associated with variations in overall medical and indemnity costs, and the duration of temporary disability. The study also looks at the utilization of medical services, including magnetic imaging studies, opioid prescriptions, and pain management injections.

The data used for this study are from the WCRI Detailed Benchmark/Evaluation database, which includes more than 2 million open and closed claims from 28 states, with injuries from October 1, 2015, through September 30, 2017, and detailed medical transactions up through March 31, 2019. The 28 states are Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Chiropractic Care for Workers with Low Back Pain. Dongchun Wang, Kathryn L. Mueller, Donald R. Murphy, and Randall D. Lea. May 2022. WC-22-17.

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