TAP TO CALLWhen you are hurt in an accident, the pain can be excruciating. Whether you are hurt on the job or in a New York or New Jersey car accident, serious injuries sometimes require powerful painkillers. According to CNBC, a new study shows that these painkillers may actually hinder recovery, or at least slow someone’s return to work.
“What we see is an association between the greater use of opioids and delayed recovery from workplace injuries,” said Alex Swedlow of the California Workers Compensation Institute, the agency behind the study. From the CNBC article:
Workers who received high doses of opioid painkillers to treat injuries like back strain stayed out of work three times longer than those with similar injuries who took lower doses, a 2008 study of claims by the California Workers Compensation Institute found. When medical care and disability payments are combined, the cost of a workplace injury is nine times higher when a strong narcotic like OxyContin is used than when a narcotic is not used, according to a 2010 analysis by Accident Fund Holdings, an insurer that operates in 18 states.
The growing number of people who struggle with addiction to these high-powered painkillers has spawned a movement to limit the use of them. But in certain situations, such powerful medications aren’t only recommended — they are necessary for someone injured in an accident. Again, from the CNBC article:
There is little question that strong pain medications can help some patients return to work and remain productive. But injured workers who are put on high doses of the drugs can develop chronic pain and face years of difficult treatments. It is not clear how, or if, the drugs are involved in the process, but when pain becomes chronic, the cost of a commonplace injury can equal a crippling one, experts said.
“Some of these claims look like someone who fell down an elevator shaft and had multiple injuries,” said Dr. Edward J. Bernacki, the director of the division of occupational and environmental medicine at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
For decades, workers’ compensation plans, which vary by state, have been plagued by problems like lengthy legal battles over an injury’s financial value. But it is in recent years that opioid painkillers have emerged as a major driver of costs, experts said.
It’s well known that insurance companies behind both workers’ compensation and auto accident claims want to hold down medical costs. Downplaying the effectiveness of pain medications like these would seem to help their cause. But when you are hurt in an accident and you are in pain, you aren’t likely to ask the insurance company what it thinks about your medical treatment . . . you’re likely to ask your physician.
About Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C.
The attorneys with Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C., understand just how difficult it can be to be injured on the job. Not only are you in pain, but you are unable to work, impacting your income and livelihood. In serious accidents, you could be disabled for the rest of your life.
Contact our NY / NJ job injury lawyers today to discuss your case and how we might be able to help. We can provide a free consultation. Call 800-LAW-2000 now.
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