Learn How Having Your Employees Backs, Can Pay You Back

June 25, 2025

Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, such as back, neck and joint pain are one of the leading drivers of health care expenses in the U.S. and consistently one of the top three highest costs for health plans. In 2021, there was an estimated 9.5 million visits to the emergency department across the U.S. for MSK conditions.1 And in 2021, $800 million was spent on MSK-related injuries .2

And the costs go beyond just dollars and cents, these conditions can also have a big impact on an employee’s quality of life and mental health taking on the form of lowered employee productivity. Everyone knows that physical muscle or joint pain can take your mind out of the game and sometimes sideline you completely. Nationwide, MSK conditions account for an average of eight days away from work.3 That’s why at Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS) we have our focus on putting people first. Because when your employees feel their best, they can do their best work.   

What are the ways we can support your team?

  • First and foremost, knowing how to prevent these injuries. It’s easy to forget the small things in day-to-day life that could end up saving both aches and pains and money. Encourage your employees to incorporate a mix of healthy habits, proper body mechanics and ergonomic tools.
    • Don’t skip warm-ups and stretching: Before you start an activity, warm up with dynamic stretching. Dynamic stretching mimics the movement of the activity you’re about to start and gets your muscles ready for movement. After your activity, make sure to static stretch. Static stretching is when you get into a stretch position and hold it for a specific amount of time, improving flexibility and range of motion.
    • Prioritize strength training as you age: Strength training can build and maintain muscle mass which will stabilize your bones, joints, and spine. It can also play a role in slowing bone loss, decreasing the risk of injury. Additionally, core strengthening and balance exercises will improve stability, allowing for increased mobility.
    • Practice mindful movement and ergonomics: Pay close attention to how you move during daily activities. Whether you are reaching, bending, or twisting, move with intention to avoid straining muscles and joints.
    • Practice good posture: Having good posture can help you avoid common aches and pains in your back, neck, and shoulders. Maintaining healthy posture can reduce wear and tear on your joints, especially in your neck and spine.
  • Once an injury does occur, knowing the symptoms and when to seek care is key to getting back to normal life.

Many MSK conditions can be effectively managed or even improved with physical therapy (PT).4 That’s why we now offer digital musculoskeletal (back, neck and joint) health care and PT services with our plans through our partner, Vori Health.*

Support from Vori Health can help:

  • Increase physical therapy engagement, resulting in better quality of care.
  • Increase ease and speed of access to care, resulting in better compliance with treatment.
  • Reduce unnecessary invasive treatments and trips to the emergency room, resulting in lower overall costs.
  • Reduce absenteeism, resulting in higher work productivity.

Plus, Vori Health can help your employees get back to their lives faster with access to:

  • Convenient video visits.
  • Medical evaluation and diagnosis.
  • Personalized treatment including physical therapy and more.
  • Non-opioid pain medication and imaging if needed.
  • Support to help manage pain, regain strength, and enjoy life.

Helping your people feel better & work better

At Excellus BCBS we’re here to provide knowledge and services to address MSK conditions to support your employees back to their best self.

To learn more about how you can support your employees and their MSK conditions, download the resources below.

Download the MSK Conditions Toolkit >>

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield is a nonprofit independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

Vori Health is an independent company that offers virtual musculoskeletal (back, neck and joint) health care and physical therapy services to Excellus BlueCross BlueShield members.

1 Estimates of Emergency Department Visits in the United States, 2016-2021, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC].

2 Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders and Ergonomics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2019.

3 2021-2022 Health plan data

4 Musculoskeletal Pain: Current and Future Directions of Physical Therapy Practice – PMC (nih.gov)