Management of musculoskeletal pain in the workplace.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration recordable upper-extremity musculoskeletal pains or disorders account for a significant number of work-related illnesses in the US workforce. Although the concept of musculoskeletal disorder prevention is appealing, little has been done to demonstrate the successful application and benefit of these programs. In 1995, an aircraft manufacturer established a unique risk-management program for new employees based on the CtdMAP individual risk assessment instrument. In 1998, a subgroup was prospectively studied for medical management on the basis of individual risk scores. Outcome measures were compared for the risk assessment group, the matched control group, and the total company. Employer-estimated savings in direct workers compensation costs were $2.42 million, and estimated indirect savings were over $13.5 million during the study.