Right Words Can Support Recovery From Injury

As the workers compensation industry moves away from immediate medical imaging and surgery, it’s encouraging those who talk to injured workers to choose words with the potential to improve outcomes for patients with back injuries.

When talking to an employee with lower back pain, don’t call it “your injury,” said Dr. Jennifer Christian, president and chief medical officer at Webility Corp. Instead, call it “your recovery process.” Don’t say “getting you back to work.” Say “getting your life back to normal.” Don’t ask about pain; ask about progress.

Christian spoke to dozens of claims professionals at the recent California Workers’ Compensation and Risk Conference in Dana Point, Calif.  

“(There are) people who have relatively moderate conditions who end up creeping toward catastrophe,” Christian said. “A lot of it has to do with words.”

Lower back injuries comprise roughly one-third of all workers comp claims, according to Mary O’Donoghue, chief clinical and product officer at MedRisk.

Panelist Matthew Walsworth, a radiologist with West Los Angeles VA Medical Center and faculty member at UCLA, said the traditional way for dealing with back pain was to send workers to an MRI scan, which often led to a doctor delivering bad news that surgery might be necessary. Often the issues revealed through an MRI screen represented typical signs of age.

Walsworth said treating physicians can instead delay an MRI and work toward a recovery solution.

That recovery solution may include cognitive behavioral therapy, said panelist Michael Rosenthal, an assistant professor in the doctoral program for physical therapy at San Diego State University. 

“MRIs trigger illness and increase likelihood of catastrophization,” Rosenthal said during the panel discussion. “They go from having a mild problem—then they get the results, and they rate their pain at a higher level even though there has been little change.” 

Christian said claims handlers and employers can be on the front lines by helping to answer questions a worker suffering a back injury may have, instead of leaving it up to the doctor.

“What we say (and) how we say it—words can reassure or frighten,” she said. “(Words) can build trust or confidence. They can empower or undermine. Your words are either going to establish yourself as someone helpful, or create distance.”   Source: Business Insurance