Employee absence reduces productivity and increases workers compensation and disability costs so employers are realizing they must become directly involved in the rehabilitation of injured employees. Statistics drawn from the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) show that if an injured employee is off work for more than six months the likelihood of him/her ever returning to work is only 50%. after one year the likelihood is only 25%, and after two years the likelihood of that individual ever returning approaches zero.

Based on these figures, no one can deny the benefit of early proven interventions that speed the process of returning injured employees back to work. Physiotherapy can help by:

1) determining whether an individual is physically capable of safely performing his/her job.

2) speeding up the healing process and helping prevent a chronic condition; and

3) ensuring the individual stays in good physical condition while they are off work recovering from their injury.

It has been estimated that almost 80% of all WSIB claimants return to work within two weeks of their injury. Experience has shown that as much as 50% of this population can be converted to non-lost time claims when a physiotherapy functional assessment is provided immediately following the injury. Family physicians are more inclined to support a quick return to work when their patient has been observed safely performing a number of job functions by a medical professional with specific expertise in this area.

Caution must be exercised in the selection of providers because not all physiotherapists offer treatment which is consistent with the goals of disability management. Employers should look for providers with documented protocols, reporting based on objective information and the ability to provide outcome data for measuring success.

The benefit to employers is obvious. There are considerable cost savings from quickly an accurately determining if physical limitations are present, and physiotherapy can help overcome these limitations. Employers who ensure workers receive fast access to high quality and appropriate physiotherapy experience lower insurance premiums, higher productivity, increased employee morale and fewer absent days over the total employment life of an individual.