Workplace Wellness Programs Don’t Address Millennials’ and Boomers’ Most Common Issues: Here’s How a Medically Based Yoga Program Fixes That

Yoga has a plethora of scientifically proven benefits, including reduced stress, anxiety, and pain and improved fitness, flexibility, and quality of life. But yoga can be a loaded word and doesn’t appeal to everyone; while millennials embrace the concept, boomers shy away from it. In a diverse office where all employees stand to reap the benefits of yoga, a versatile and individualized approach is needed. Medically based yoga could be the component your wellness program is missing.

Nearly 53 percent of small firms and 82 percent of large firms offer a wellness program. And, according to many studies, these programs work: in 2001, the University of Michigan’s former Health Management Research Center found that for every $1 spent on wellness programs, employers saw a $3 return on direct costs, like workers’ compensation claims, and indirect costs, like improved loyalty and increased productivity.

However, according to other studies, many employees feel their health isn’t improving, despite the return on investment. Why is this?

Workplace wellness tends to be self driven, with little to no accountability. So, like many New Years’ resolutions, employees quickly fall off the wagon, leaving only those who already lead healthy lifestyles and have low medical expenditures.

Furthermore, most corporate wellness programs focus on one of three areas: smoking cessation, weight management, and behavioral or lifestyle changes. But they fail to accommodate the two most common issues affecting millennials and boomers – the bulk of today’s workforce.  Studies show that millennials suffer more from depression than any other generation while boomers’ aging bodies require more pain management due to prolonged sitting and repetitive motions on the job.

Medically based yoga addresses both physical and psychological pain by fusing the holistic benefits of yoga with medically oriented techniques. It was designed by doctors, physical therapists, and yoga experts, and is versatile enough to increase employee participation and success.

What is Medically Based Yoga?

It is important to note that medically based yoga isn’t recreational yoga or yoga therapy. All protocols are evidence-based and consistent with current clinical treatment models. Results are recorded through health enhancing technology, a software designed specifically for medically based yoga. A certified instructor will work with you to identify your employees unique needs and develop a customized, results-driven treatment plan. And, your employees will be working with an instructor, they will be held accountable and keep motivated.

Improving Physical Pain

For boomers at the office, this is a safe, effective program for managing pain. Lower back and back injuries are among the most widely reported health issues in the modern workplace: they are the second most common neuromuscular problem and account for 30% of all injuries that require time away from work. Medically based yoga is customized to rehabilitate and prevent a variety of physical ailments. And, without the stigma of traditional yoga, Boomers will be more receptive to the program, especially if you emphasize pain management.

Managing Psychological Wellness

The mind and the body are intimately connected but most workplace wellness programs don’t address mental health. As millennials face unprecedented levels of depression, mental health management has become increasingly important to them. They view companies that value and promote mental wellness as an attractive place to work.

In addition to depression, workplace stress has been dubbed a “silent killer.” Stress racks up more than $190 billion in healthcare costs per year –  so it is curious why more employers don’t include mental health in their wellness programs.

Medically based yoga combines clinical therapy with the emotional benefits of yoga. It integrates positive physiological attributes, like increased oxygen, balance, and muscle strength with psychological functions like pain control, personal empowerment, coping mechanisms, and stress relief. Managing your employees’ depression and stress is key to increasing productivity and lowering absenteeism.

Implementing a Medically Based Yoga Program

Because certified instructors perform most of the work and program planning, starting it is simple. No extra equipment or space is needed. However, if your office doesn’t have an available room, sessions can be conducted at an offsite studio before, after, or during work hours. Medically based yoga is directly billable through workers’ compensation insurance or as preventative care option.

Overall, current corporate wellness programs could be more effective. While they address many positive things, mental health and physical pain, two of the most common issues affecting millennials and boomers, are often ignored.  Employers stand to gain more from their investment – and so do employees. Medically based yoga is win-win that tackles the real roots of employee absenteeism, low productivity, and excessive healthcare expenses. To learn more, contact Yoga Medics. 

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We are a yoga-minded culture. More than 36 million Americans practice yoga and its popularity continues to rise (over 87% in the past 5 years)! People are also turning to alternative medicine and holistic treatments more than ever before. And when it comes to pain management, education about pain killers and their catastrophic side effects have influenced Americans to get off the pills. Many change their diets, take walks more often…or pick up yoga.

With all this knowledge available, your clients want more from their physical therapy appointments. Here’s why you should invest in people and not equipment:

Your Staff is the Your Most Valuable Resource

Whether you’re a one-person show or you manage several employees, knowledge, skills, and interaction with clients is the difference between providing an average experience or an exceptional one. At the end of the day, clients need to connect with their physical therapists (PT’s) and trust they’re the experts who will help them heal.

During YogaMedics therapy, mood is elevated as certain hormones are released. Because YogaMedics therapy is clinically based and focuses on the mind and body, the combination of hormone-release and mental work creates a deeper connection between the client and PT. Once your PTs learn how to implement YogaMedics’ techniques, they can bond with their clients in a more personal way. Not only will clients appreciate this, but your clinic’s reputation will flourish. Remember: well-trained staff create better retention but it’s the emotional connection that will bring clients back. Every. Time.

Offer Clients Personalized Treatment Options

Of course, you want to offer clients treatment options that they want. After all, if you’re going to invest in training, you need to be confident that it’s a program that works and is in high demand.

Training your PTs in YogaMedics therapy will bring more diversity and customization to each client’s routine. YogaMedics therapy is highly individualized   that provides measurable results. Unlike yoga class, which demands everyone do the same move at the same time, YogaMedics therapy uniquely addresses individual health concerns for long term healing. Educating your PT’s in YogaMedics therapy will enable them to further personalize their client’s treatment, making them feel better and heal faster.

YogaMedics Therapy Brings Communities Together

While you’re a physical therapist for many meaningful reasons, running your business is, well, business. Offering YogaMedics classes can be used as a marketing tool to connect with other companies and members of the community. It will likely attract individuals who already use yoga for pain management. And because yoga illuminates what’s weak and tight, YogaMedics therapy can identify individuals who need physical therapy.

Continuing Education for Your Staff

Becoming certified in YogaMedics therapy means access to continuing education and exclusive software.

Want to learn more about how YogaMedics can help your physical therapy clinic attract new clientele and generate more revenue?

GROW YOUR PHYSICAL THERAPY PRACTICE BY PARTNERING WITH YOGAMEDICS

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However, you’ll be hard-pressed to find health insurance that covers yoga as a treatment for any other condition other than heart disease, as it is still widely associated with fitness and appearance instead of an avenue towards healing.

But, as we’ve discussed in previous blogs, YogaMedics is not yoga therapy and not recreational yoga (if you didn’t catch that blog post, you can
read it here!).

If you see a YogaMedics therapist directly, you may still have to pay out-of-pocket. However, the good news is YogaMedics therapy can be relatively inexpensive, and the benefits are certainly worth it! But if you can’t afford the expense, we’re happy to work with you. There’s a chance your health insurance may still cover YogaMedics therapy because of its proven clinical benefits. You’ll need to speak with your primary care doctor to obtain a diagnosis and referral.    

If you’re self-employed,  and you have a Health Savings Account (HSA), it can be used to pay for YogaMedics therapy visits, and so can an employer-funded Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA). If you contribute part of your salary toward a Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA), check with your HR department to see if YogaMedics therapy qualifies as a medical expense. Be sure to keep good records and document ALL your expenses.

If you’re a Veteran,  we have good news: YogaMedics is contracted with the department of defense and currently works out of Detroit’s VA hospital. Our services are included in your existing benefits!

Another option is to see a licensed medical professional who is YogaMedics contracted or certified. Caseworkers, physical therapists, psychologists, and nurse practitioners often seek YogaMedics therapy certification to expand their treatment options to clients. They are familiar with billing and insurance processes, you’ll only have to worry about any copays if they apply.  

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The one morning a week you have time to yourself. You can catch up on the news and actually enjoy the coconut-toasted coffee you bought on a whim two days ago. It looked delicious on the shelf at Whole Foods and now your taste buds confirm it was worth the extra bucks.  

As 10:00 am rolls around, you squeeze into your yoga pants, roll up your yoga mat, and take some of that coconut coffee to go. You look forward to yoga class each week. It leaves you feeling revitalized, refreshed, and seems to (briefly) alleviate your chronic neck pain. Brunch afterward with your fellow yogis isn’t so bad either.

There are many reasons people incorporate yoga into their lives. The physical and mental benefits of a regular yoga practice are undeniable, proven, and effective. However, if you’re using yoga for pain relief and the pain continues to persist, a deeper medical condition might need to be addressed. And while recreational yoga can be used to manage minor pains and aches, it cannot offer true rehabilitation.

But, yoga class seems to help, why yoga therapy, why YogaMedics therapy? What’s the difference and which option is best for you?

Yoga Class is Body Maintenance, Yoga Therapy is Holistic Body Rehabilitation, and YogaMedics Therapy is Clinical Body Rehabilitation

While all three use movement as a means to heal and rejuvenate, yoga therapy is for individuals who have long-term health issues, who need to strengthen specific parts of their body, who need to need to regain use of their body or body parts, or who need to heal from injury.

However, YogaMedics therapy is clinically-based and is similar to physical therapy in its function and application. While two people may be suffering from the same ailment, their treatment might be approached differently. YogaMedics therapy is not yoga but uses a yoga foundation in a results-based, data-driven model to rehabilitate patients.

Yoga Class is Generalized, Yoga Therapy is Personalized, and YogaMedics Therapy is Customizable and Measurable

In yoga class, all participants do the same movements, the same poses, and meditate at the same time.

Yoga therapy adapts yoga to the individual and uses it in a way that addresses ongoing health problems.

YogaMedics therapy is data-driven and utilizes a specialized software to track a patient’s progress. This means that healthcare providers can adjust and customize their treatment on an as-needed basis. Progress resulting from yoga class or yoga therapy, while effective, is subjective and unmeasurable. 

Yoga Class is Emotional Release, Yoga Therapy is Emotional Healing, YogaMedics Therapy is Mental/Emotional Rehabilitation

The mind and the body are interconnected. For example, someone suffering from anxiety may actually have more physical symptoms than behavioral symptoms. One of the major goals of yoga and yoga therapy is not only to reveal internal struggles but to treat it. This treatment correlates with psychoneuroimmunology, a branch of psychology that studies the interaction between the nervous, endocrine and immune systems. Yoga therapy offers relief on the physical level, while illuminating the psychology behind the pain.

YogaMedics therapy medically addresses the emotional and mental aspects of physical rehabilitation. The main difference between YogaMedics therapy and yoga therapy in terms of emotional/mental rehabilitation is that YogaMedics therapy provides an objective way to measure emotional/mental progress and utilizes yoga poses in a strategic and scientific way to tackle emotional/mental causes of physical pain.

Yoga Instructors, Yoga Therapists, and YogaMedics are Trained Differently

Becoming a recreational yoga instructor involves a vast amount of physical knowledge, yoga know-how, and a minimum of 500 hours of experience.

Yoga therapists are trained holistically, with slight medical knowledge. Yoga therapists often have a deep understanding of Ayurveda, the traditional Hindu system of medicine based on the idea of balance in bodily systems utilizing diet, herbal treatment, and yogic breathing.

YogaMedics are trained in a clinical environment. Though they are not certified to diagnose conditions or give medical advice, they must have extensive knowledge of anatomy, physiology in both health and various disease states, and must understand basic medical care for various health problems. They are trained to use certain yoga poses to address specific symptoms as well as how to analyze the data and adjust treatment.

In short, YogaMedics therapy is not a holistic treatment when compared to yoga class and yoga therapy. While yoga class and yoga therapy do have proven benefits, YogaMedics therapy actually allows medical experts to accumulate data for objective results. So, do you think you might need to consult a YogaMedic?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

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