Many people who have suffered whiplash sooner or later come into contact with the company doctor. This is a doctor who specializes in work-related and work-related complaints. The company doctor examines an employee and provides advice to the employer based on this examination. Many people fear the company doctor, who decides whether your story and complaints are plausible enough. And what does the occupational health and safety service have to do with this?
What is whiplash?
People who have suffered whiplash, wherever they are, all have the same similarity : the head and neck have made a strong swinging movement relative to the torso and each other. Doctors officially call whiplash a cervical acceleration-deceleration injury . Whiplash can be caused by a rear-end collision with the car, but side collisions and accidents during sports, for example, can also be possible causes. The classic definition of whiplash states that the injury may only be called a whiplash if the neck has not collided with anything , in order to be able to make a clear distinction with a concussion , among other things.
What does the company doctor do?
Many insurance companies seem to tend to dismiss whiplash as a pseudo-condition with a psychological cause. However, research shows this is not the case. A company doctor tries to make a good analysis of the problem and identify the complaints. This is a complete overview of both medical and psychosocial complaints and findings. This is called an anamnesis . An anamnesis can be seen as a kind of inventory of what happened and the consequences of the event, including a sketch of the current situation. The anamnesis creates clarity and clarity, which can greatly contribute to choosing a suitable treatment.
Difference between company doctor and occupational health and safety doctor
The term company doctor is a legally protected title. You may only call yourself a company doctor if you have been trained in the field of work and health, as additional training after your basic medical training.
The occupational health and safety doctor works at an occupational health and safety service and provides occupational health and safety services, but has not received any special training in the occupational medicine profession.
Adjustments at work
Many people experience a lot of tension at work, which is counterproductive in the recovery process from whiplash. It is an option to carry out (temporarily) modified work in consultation with the employer, preferably simpler and simpler work, which reduces stress. Other simple adjustments may include reduced working hours or an adapted workplace.
Reintegration process
When one has recovered as best as possible from whiplash, one will want or have to go back to work . The company doctor can help provide individual coaching in the form of a reintegration program . In such a case, a plan of action and a provisional work plan are drawn up together, in which you return to the work situation before the whiplash in small steps . Reintegration usually starts 6 weeks after the accident and ends after an average of 6 months. The minimum requirement is often that people return to work for 2 hours 2 days a week.