Injuries happen — they happen on the job,
on the road and at home. While the trauma of an injury is severe, the rehabilitation process can be just as grueling. The
boss’s reaction at work can either make the
situation easier or more painful.
According to Michael Delahanty, D.O., the
medical director of Edwin Shaw Rehab and
chairman of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Akron General Medical Center, prevention of injury should be an employer’s
first consideration.
“Look at workplace injuries and make
interventions to reduce the risk of recurrence,” Delahanty says. “For an injured
employee, it is important that the employer
help that worker return to work and
become productive as soon as possible.”
Something as simple as a phone call lets
employees know you value them, he says.
Talk to the worker and ask how he or she is
doing, but do not put pressure on them to
return. Let the employee know you are
interested in his or her health and welfare.
That helps even if it is not a long-term
absence or rehab situation.
Smart Business spoke with Delahanty
about what business owners can do to help
employees recover from serious injuries or
illnesses.
Why is flexibility important in rehabilitation?
Flexibility on the employer’s part is important to help workers recover. But, the
employee must be flexible, too. People get
out of the habit of going to work. If they stay
in that groove, it becomes increasingly difficult for them to get back to a regular work
schedule. But the employer should avoid
demanding that a worker come back full
time, doing all the work he or she did before.
This can create difficulties for a recovering
worker, and you end up with an adversarial
relationship. Start with a modified schedule
or modified duties. In the end, you’ll have a
happier employee who gets back to full productivity sooner.
Are there mental/emotional concerns as well
as physical ones?
Definitely. The less satisfied and less
empowered employees feel, the more likely they are to prolong their period of unemployment and not return to work. Most
workers who are off the job will experience
frustration. Being off work is stressful — it is
financially and emotionally difficult. Most
people want to get back to work. After
extended illness, some people become clinically depressed. The longer they are off
work, the more likely this is. Chronic pain
and disability meet the traditional definition
of depression. In general, lower educational
levels, lower job satisfaction and the presence of other issues in a worker’s life put him
or her at greater risk. It’s a challenge for
employers to deal with all of these aspects.
Isn’t workers’ compensation supposed to
address much of this?
In my experience, the workers’ compensation program is frustrating to employers,
employees and doctors. Doctors are asked
to make a judgment about when workers
are able to return full time to their duties.
But determining a worker’s condition is not
an exact science. It is a lot easier to phase in
an employee’s work. Remember, medicine
is not an exact science. Under workers’
comp, 80 to 90 percent of workers will get better and return to work no matter what
we do. The other 10 percent will require a
longer course of treatment and will be at
greater risk of not returning.
What are common work-related injuries?
Back ailments are among the most common injuries at work. The whole scientific
basis of the concept of back injury is very
much in question. A fracture or herniated
disk is obvious. But it is hard to get an objective finding on a stiff, sore or painful back. Is
the pain in the head or in the back? Well, it’s
both, and both have to be treated simultaneously or the patient will not get better. In
general, bed rest is not recommended after
back injuries unless there are clinical indications like fractures. Patients should be as
active as they can tolerate. Passive physical
therapy like ultrasound or hot packs are
unlikely to help much. The physical therapist should get the patient as active as he or
she can be — under supervision, of course.
Exercise is the best medicine. When a worker is off the job and it appears his or her
recovery and return to work is being
delayed, it is always good to have a second
opinion, no matter how good the doctor,
surgeon, chiropractor or physical therapist
is. Build a second opinion into the company’s program through the human resources
department. High-risk employees and those
with other issues are the ones who need it
the most, early on. The sooner they get a
second opinion, the better.
Are there physical facilities, beyond the
Americans with Disabilities Act, that one
should provide?
For some employees, allowing them to
stand on an anti-fatigue mat will make a
huge difference. A bib-type lumbar corset
can help workers who lift repeatedly. The
employer should be flexible in providing
conditions that will help the worker get back
to work. Workplace ergonomics was gospel
a few years ago. But the science behind it is
not that great. What works for you after a
back injury might not work for me.
MICHAEL DELAHANTY, D.O., Fellow, American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, is the medical director of Edwin Shaw
Rehab and chairman of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Akron General Medical Center. Reach him at [email protected].
