Open AccessDoes Coordinated, Multidisciplinary Treatment Limit Medical Disability and Attrition Related to Spine Conditions in the US Navy?
Author(s) -
Gregg Ziemke,
Marco Campello,
Rudi Hiebert,
Shira Schecter Weiner,
Chris Rennix,
Margareta Nordin
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
clinical orthopaedics and related research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.178
H-Index - 204
eISSN - 1528-1132
pISSN - 0009-921X
DOI - 10.1007/s11999-015-4328-4
Subject(s) - medicine , active duty , attrition , physical therapy , multidisciplinary approach , limiting , navy , duty , family medicine , military personnel , mechanical engineering , social science , philosophy , theology , dentistry , archaeology , sociology , political science , law , history , engineering
Musculoskeletal conditions account for the largest proportion of cases resulting in early separation from the US Navy. This study evaluates the impact of the Spine Team, a multidisciplinary care group that included physicians, physical therapists, and a clinical psychologist, for the treatment of active-duty service members with work-disabling, nonspecific low back pain at the Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, VA, USA. We compared the impact of the introduction of the Spine Team in limiting disability and attrition from work-disabling spine conditions with the experience of the Naval Medical Center, San Diego, CA, USA, where there is no comparable spine team.