Editor's note: Dr. Gilkey, a 1979 graduate of Los Angeles College of Chiropractic, is the past president of the ACA's Council on Occupational Health, and secretary of the ACA's American Chiropractic Board of Occupational Health, of which he is a diplomate. He has a master's degree in environmental policy and management from the University of Denver, where he also received his certificate in environmental health and safety management.
Industrial consulting to America's workplaces now entails expert knowledge in the fields of environmental health and safety (EHS) compliance, operations, prevention, and cost containment, as well as cost-effective medical and chiropractic management. The chiropractic occupational health and safety physician is now afforded an opportunity to fulfill many roles in this diverse field. Industry has great challenges with out-of-control health related costs for epidemic CTD and back injury claims. Valuable resources must be allocated for environmental health and safety regulations despite the corporate downsizing and contracted budgets.
Traditional roles of OH physicians, safety professionals, and industrial hygienists have been limited and generally separate. Today's industries, regulatory overlap, and marketplace forces have brought these disciplines closer together. No single health care professional is better equipped to offer the broad spectrum of needed services for the multitude of industry challenges than the chiropractic occupational health and safety physician.
Traditional roles filled by OH physicians have been broadened as the specialty of occupational health has established itself. Training, both in chiropractic and in medicine, has greatly improved the scope and definition of what physicians do in today's workplace. In chiropractic, the diplomate postgraduate education and training program in occupational health and safety provides the familiarity needed to navigate the maze of overlapping fields and topics:
A recent article by Dr. Joe Sweere, ("The Employer Holds the Key to the Doors of Managed Care," Dynamic Chiropractic, May 6, 1996), outlined the challenges to chiropractic to ensure our participation in the nation's future health care systems. Dr. Sweere discussed the presence of a paradigm shift from "crisis intervention to prevention," and the need for skill development in preventative services, loss source analysis, worksite hazard analysis, management and worker education, ergonomics, preventive chiropractic care, communication skills, government relations, and physical rehabilitation. EHS training, education, and skill development is the key to making friends and influencing people -- the decision makers in industry, that is!
Bibliography
Bureau of National Affairs (1994). Ergonomics: A 770% increase. Occupational Safety and Health Reporter, 24, 1794.
Friedman FB (1993). Practical Guide to Environmental Management. Washington, D. C.: Environmental Law Institute.
Kahlil TM, Abdel-Moty EM, Rosomoff RS, Rosomoff HL. (1993). Ergonomics in Back Pain. NY: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
Labar G. (1994, April). Ergonomics can't wait any longer. Occupational Hazards, 33.
Laws J. (Ed.). (1996, January). OSHA Act high cost criticized. Occupational Health and Safety, 12.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. (1995). Cumulative trauma disorders in the workplace, bibliography. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
National Safety Council. (1994). Accident facts. Itasca, IL: NSC.
David Gilkey, DC, DABCO, DACBOH, FICC
Westminster, Colorado
davidpgi@csn.net
When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
It is estimated that 61% of patients with CTS avoid taking surgical options due to postoperative complications and costly surgical procedures. Chiropractic care offers a comprehensive and effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, addressing the condition from multiple angles. Recent studies also have unveiled a game-changing adjunct to chiropractic treatments for CTS: nerve flossing.
Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
