Opioids can certainly play a role in helping manage pain after a workers’ compensation injury, but if you’re not careful, these strong medications can leave a person susceptible to abuse, addiction or overdose. To get a better understanding of why some injured workers develop issues with opioids, researchers decided to dive into the data. They uncovered that workers and their healthcare providers should focus on a specific aspect of care if they want to cut down on a person’s likelihood of using opioids for longer than needed. We dive into that study and talk about pain management after a work injury in today’s blog.
Pain Level Fuels Opioid Use After Work Injury
According to a study by researchers from the Institute for Work and Health out of Canada, they found that severe pain is “the main factor associated with opioid use after a work-related injury.” That news may not be all that surprising, as opioids are used to control pain, but the study also revealed how important it is to focus on pain management instead of other care aspects when working to lower an injured worker’s dependence risk.
For example, more than 1,800 injured workers were interviewed 18 months after they earned a valid injury claim award, and they were assessed on other factors like when they were able to return to work and whether or not their employer offered light duty work. They found that while these other factors may have helped a person transition back into the workforce, there was no evidence that they helped curb opioid risk. In other words, how fast someone was able to return to work and whether or not their employer offered light duty work had no impact on their opioid use – it really all boiled down to their pain level.
“This increased risk was found regardless of whether the injured workers felt they had to return to work too soon, or whether they were offered work accommodations upon their return,” researchers wrote. They concluded their study by suggesting “the need for effective alternatives for pain management in the injured worker population.”
Opioid abuse is a major issue among injured workers. Many workers want to get back to work as soon as possible in order to continue earning a full paycheck, and that desire to get back to work can have them over-relying on pain medications to mask their symptoms and help them get through the work day. Unfortunately, these pain medications only provide temporary relief, and if you’re not targeting the root cause of discomfort, there’s a good chance that your pain will persist or even worsen if you’re stressing your body at work.
Instead of leaning on opioids, really throw yourself into a comprehensive pain management plan with your care team. Your doctor and your physical therapists can help you work to target the root cause of your pain and ensure you are making the right type of progress as you transition back into the work force. Getting back to work quickly and into the right role for your current restrictions is important, but not as important as having a plan to overcome any lingering pain if you’re hoping to reduce your risk of opioid dependence and addiction.
If you’re dealing with a painful work injury, let the team at Hey Workers help take some things off your plate. We can build a strong injury claim and fight for your rights so that you can get every penny you deserve from the insurance company. While we handle your injury claim, you can spend more time focusing on your health and your family. It will be easier to make a stronger recovery if you can really focus on your health, and that’s just one benefit we provide by being your full service injury claims team. We’ll be with you every step of the way until you earn your settlement and eventually get back to work.
For more information on how we can help with different aspects of your injury claim, reach out to the team at Hey Workers today at (844) 439-9675.
