Benefit Packages 2023 Address Back Pain in the Workplace, Foot Levelers Cites Importance of Non-Invasive Care: Better Outcomes, Lower Cost, Worker Productivity

Foot Levelers, the world’s leading provider of hand-crafted custom flexible orthotics serving multi-disciplinary professionals and clinicians, advises decision makers during open enrollment 2023 as they design benefits packages. With the increased prevalence, cost burdens and workplace issues associated with back pain, U.S. employers face grim projections that the average costs they pay for their employees' healthcare will increase 6.5% to more than $13,800 per employee next year. Many companies are exploring treatment options for back pain that incentivize the use of cost-effective, non-invasive approaches – including custom, flexible orthotics – as first-line treatments to reduce risky, expensive surgeries or dangerous opioids.

“People do not always think to assess the foot as a contributing factor for back pain, although there is growing evidence among healthcare providers who treat spine problems that back pain does not operate alone,” says Kent S. Greenawalt, chairman and CEO, Foot Levelers. “A key step in successfully addressing back pain is to evaluate and treat dysfunction of the feet which may be the root of many spine problems and associated pain. As many as 77% of people overpronate when walking or running. Foot Levelers custom flexible orthotics are the only ones that support all three arches of the foot for total body alignment and stability.”

According to the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute, many of the indirect costs of chronic back pain are related to missed days of work and disability payments, with some 83 million days of work lost per year due to back pain. Health care expenditures are high for adults with back pain, and on average, almost 2.5 times those for adults without back pain — $1,440 and $589, respectively.

Jamie Greenawalt, senior vice president, Foot Levelers, adds, “While occupations reporting the highest rates of back pain include nursing, transportation, construction, warehousing and landscaping, neck and low back pain are also significant health problems in sedentary office workers who also benefit from our custom flexible orthotics for athletic or recreational activities.”

Foot Levelers lightweight, flexible orthotics fit comfortably in work boots or shoes while providing high-performance elements like shock absorption, propulsion, and biomechanical alignment that employees need to optimize daily performance. InMotion+™, Foot Levelers’ most innovative orthotic, helps to optimize on-the-job performance through a number of proprietary features:

• Maximum shock absorption and propulsion, the most of any custom orthotic we offer

• Far Infrared (FIR)+ Top Cover: Far Infrared Rays (FIR)+ redirect natural energy back into the body which helps enhance muscle elasticity and performance, stimulate circulation, boost energy and relieve muscle fatigue

• Temperature control keeping feet cool and comfortable while fighting odors

• Enhanced durability

“Given the prevalence of chronic low back pain in the U.S. and with data showing that surgery and interventional procedures are options in only a minority of patients, it will be incumbent upon benefits professionals to identify effective, non-invasive, nonopioid alternatives for addressing chronic low back pain and to include coverage for this level of care in benefits packages,” she concludes.

About Foot Levelers

Foot Levelers, the world’s leading provider of hand-crafted custom orthotics, has been serving healthcare professionals since 1952. Stabilizing orthotics help properly support the back, knees, hips, pelvis, and even neck by providing a balanced and symmetrical foundation. Foot Levelers orthotics are proven to reduce LBP by 34.5%. Visit www.footlevelers.com; and follow on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (@FootLevelers).

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