Work Disability Common After Mild Auto Injuries

It is critically difficult to cope with health problems and issues that arise after an auto injury. If not properly treated, these injuries can have lasting effects on the patient's tissue structure and overall health.

Studies that are conducted to learn about different disabilities caused by auto collisions typically involve people with critical injuries. Many mild injuries may not require a patient to be hospitalized. Therefore, experts don't know much about the disabilities caused by such mild injuries.

Research to Learn More

A special research study was conducted to gather information about mild auto injuries and the associated disabilities. A comparison was made between the work disability of people who were admitted to a hospital due to an auto injury and that of individuals whose injuries were treated without requiring hospitalization.

People who received injuries between 2005 and 2007 in different motor vehicle accidents in Victoria, Australia, had participated in the study. Due to their orthopedic or other injuries, those people had to take days off from their work. Out of all participants, 57% had needed hospitalization; 15% had to stay in hospital for over a week.

Study Findings

A characteristic that was common among all participants was related to their inability to work. About 32% of injuries had made it difficult for patients to work properly even half a year after the accident. However, patients with injuries that did not need hospitalization had missed less than seven days of work. As a result, they had to justify only 27% of their work disability days.

Female patients, on the other hand, who were under 35 years of age, had greater chances of developing a work disability even six months after the accident. Researchers concluded the same result for female patients who were provided with different painkillers.

This research also concluded that many mild injuries continued to affect the personal and professional lives of patients. Such people still tend to miss work days when the pain becomes unbearable for them.

According to the findings of other research, people with a critical auto injury mentioned that the accident still affected their lives, even after an entire year had passed since their accident.

Get Help from Oregon Medical Centers

Since many health-care providers may not be able to detect or treat a hidden auto injury, you need a reliable chiropractor whose experience and skills befit the job. Our team at First Choice in the Aloha/ Beaverton area employs highly trained chiropractors who utilize the most effective techniques to treat your auto injuries and associated disorders.

Reference

Berecki-Gisolf J, Collie A, McClure R. Work disability after road traffic injury in a mixed population with and without hospitalization. Accident Analysis & Prevention 2013; 51 (129-134).