The modern workplace can be taxing on the body and mind. To keep employees healthy and productive, many companies now offer on-site chiropractic care.
One study found that on-site chiropractic services were associated with lower healthcare utilization (fewer doctor visits), reduced absenteeism, and reduced overall healthcare costs.
Reduced Pain and Discomfort
Chiropractic services for state workers alleviate pain and discomfort, helping employees focus and be productive. Rather than masking symptoms with medication, which can have unpleasant side effects and contain relaxants that can make it hard to concentrate, chiropractic treatments correct the source of the problem, such as spine misalignments.
Chiropractic helps maintain healthy posture by realigning the spine, crucial to nervous system function. Proper spinal alignment allows the body to move naturally, improving energy levels and reducing back and neck pain caused by sedentary work lifestyles.
In addition, the use of chiropractic services by VA employees can help decrease absenteeism rates and lost time due to work-related injuries. This analysis evaluated the impact of the VHA chiropractic program on employee absence and productivity using a clinical productivity measure (the quotient of an annual chiropractor’s number of procedures coded with Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes and assigned wRVU value divided by the chiropractor’s direct clinical full-time equivalent (FTE) worked).
Boosted Immune System
Many people go to great lengths to help strengthen their immune system, from taking supplements and ensuring they get enough rest to avoid large crowds and frequent hand washing. And while these practices are helpful, it’s important to remember that the human body needs all systems working well for its defenses to work as intended.
Studies have shown that chiropractic can support a healthy immune system by lowering stress hormones, improving function and mobility in the spine and body, stimulating the lymphatic system to oust toxins, and bringing oxygenated blood to the organs.
Observational, anecdotal evidence is also common among chiropractic practitioners, who often report seeing lessened allergy symptoms, more efficient recovery from and less frequent episodes of flu and colds, and general health improvements in their patients. These observations warrant further research by ICA-affiliated chiropractic colleges to determine the relationship between the nervous and immune systems. Until answers are found through formal study, the ICA strongly encourages its members to remain mindful of the potential benefits of chiropractic care.
Fewer Sick Days
Boosted immune systems can help prevent illness, enabling employees to work more efficiently while staying healthy. In addition, chiropractic care alleviates pain and discomfort, improving overall health and well-being. This allows employees to be more focused at work and enhances energy levels.
Many common ailments that keep employees from working productively can be associated with spinal misalignments, such as back and neck pain. These problems interfere with proper nerve communication and can cause many symptoms and issues, including headaches and migraines.
A recent study showed that on-site chiropractic services could decrease employee healthcare utilization, resulting in lower medical costs for the company. Employees who visited on-site chiropractors needed fewer visits to physical therapy and fewer trips to the doctor than their counterparts who did not use on-site services.
Improved Overall Well-Being
Chiropractic services are a great way to improve an employee’s overall health. In turn, this leads to fewer sick days and more productive work.
Chiropractic care can boost the immune system and improve general well-being. It also reduces pain and discomfort and improves mobility and flexibility.
In addition, the spine is a major hub of the nervous system. When the spine is misaligned or injured, this can disrupt the nervous system and lead to various health problems. Chiropractic treatments can help to keep the spine healthy, which can improve general health and result in fewer sick days.
While State-mandated insurance benefits can affect private health insurance, they typically have little impact on employer-sponsored group coverage (Jensen, 1993). Employer-sponsored plans are dominated by managed care and self-insurance plans; thus, only a small segment of current group insurance is covered under mandates. In most States, however, the 1974 Employee Retirement Income Security Act preempts mandates on purchases of conventional fee-for-service group policies.