Shoulder Injury Treatment Strategies Being Re-Evaluated

Shoulder injuries such as rotator cuff tears are becoming more common as the population ages, leading some to wonder whether shoulder pain is becoming “the new low-back pain” in workers’ compensation. Shoulder pain is now the top diagnosis for cases with post-surgical physical therapy, ahead of knee pain and low back pain, which are No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, according to an industry trends report this month from MedRisk. Five years ago, low back pain was the top diagnosis for post-surgical PT in MedRisk’s book of business, said Rommy Blum, executive vice presiden...