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Occupational injuries are fairly common among people who work jobs with high risks of occupational hazards. You can suffer from a workplace injury due to poor ergonomics, repetitive motion, overuse of a body part, traumatic events like accidents, and other factors. Occupational injuries can cause severe pain and discomfort, reduce physical function and mobility, and decrease productivity. They can also affect your health, well-being, and ability to perform your job and daily activities.
Physiotherapy is a healthcare profession that helps people who have suffered from injury, illness, or disability regain their mobility and physical function. Physiotherapy plays a crucial role in ensuring that people who have suffered from work-related injuries in Okotoks return to their jobs and regular lives in no time. Physiotherapists employ several treatment interventions to treat various types of work-related injuries. This article will explain how physiotherapists help with work-related injuries at Dynamic Physiotherapy.
Types of Work-related Injuries
There are several types of work-related injuries. These injuries can occur in the workplace due to several factors. Some of the most common types of workplace injuries include:
- Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI): These conditions refer to pain and damage to the muscles, nerves, tendons, and soft tissues that result from frequent use and repetitive motion. People whose jobs require them to perform the same motions and activities daily may suffer from repetitive strain injuries. These injuries may affect their fingers, thumbs, elbows, arms, shoulders, and knees. Common conditions resulting from repetitive strain injuries include bursitis, rotator cuff injury, tendonitis, trigger finger (stenosing tenosynovitis), etc.
- Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs): These conditions refer to injuries and disorders of the musculoskeletal system – muscles, tendons, nerves, cartilage, joints, and spinal discs. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are caused or worsened by work performance or environment.
- Strains, sprains, and ligament injuries: A strain is a painful muscle injury resulting from a muscle tear due to overuse or misuse. On the other hand, Sprains are injuries that occur when the ligaments (fibrous bands of tissue that connect two bones in the joints) overstretch or tear. Strains, sprains, and ligament tears can happen in the workplace due to falls, overexertion, or other accidents.
- Postural problems: This condition refers to postural and ergonomic issues resulting from long periods of static or absurd positions during work-related tasks. Postural abnormalities at work might cause discomfort and other musculoskeletal disorders.
Traumatic events such as accidents and mishaps due to work hazards may also lead to work-related injuries. These work-related injuries and many more can cause physical function and mobility problems that may hinder people from being productive at their jobs and daily lives. If you do not quickly address these workplace injuries, they can cause complications and lead to long-term health implications.
How Can Physiotherapists Help With Work-related Injuries?
Physiotherapy promotes, maintains, and restores physical health through several treatment interventions, including therapy techniques, patient education, etc. The first visit of a person suffering from work-related injuries to an Okotoks physiotherapist involves a comprehensive assessment of the person’s situation to determine the impact and severity of their condition. The patient may also undergo physical examination and other diagnostic tests to help physiotherapists draw an effective treatment plan and determine suitable interventions. After assessment, the physiotherapist will curate a comprehensive treatment plan tailored to the patient’s needs. The following are common treatment methods that physiotherapists in Okotoks, AB, may employ to treat work-related injuries:
Manual Therapy
Manual therapy is a hands-on treatment technique that physiotherapists use to treat musculoskeletal injuries and disabilities. The therapist’s hands are the primary instruments of treatment during manual therapy. Manual therapy techniques that a physiotherapist may employ to treat work-related injuries include:
- Massage therapy: Massage is a practice in which the physiotherapist manipulates and applies pressure to the body’s tendons, ligaments, muscles, and other soft tissues to relieve pain and restore physical function.
- Joint mobilization
- Myofascial release
- Soft tissue mobilization
- Strain-counter strain therapy
- Dry needling
- Active release techniques (ART), etc.
Rehabilitation Exercises
These exercises target the affected muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves, and other soft tissues to improve their strength, flexibility, and range of motion. Examples of therapeutic exercises that a physiotherapist may recommend when rehabilitating work-related injuries include strengthening, stretching, balance training, resistance training, and functional movement exercises.
Pain Management Techniques
Work-related injuries cause severe pain and discomfort that affect a person’s ability to carry out daily activities, perform their jobs, and enjoy overall quality of life. While treating and managing work-related injuries, physiotherapists try relieving pain through heat/cold therapy, ultrasound therapy, electrotherapy, etc.
Other physiotherapy techniques that you may undergo during physiotherapy for work-related injuries include patient education, ergonomic advice, return-to-work schedule, etc.
Benefits of Physiotherapy for Work-related Injuries
The following are the benefits attached to undergoing physiotherapy at Okotoks, AB, for work-related injuries:
- It reduces pain and discomfort
- It strengthens the muscles
- It improves one’s range of motion
- It encourages faster healing and recovery
- It prevents future injuries
- It improves mobility and restores physical function
- Physiotherapy improves one’s overall quality of life.
Conclusion
While people need jobs for the smooth running of our daily lives, they may suffer musculoskeletal injuries and other conditions while performing their duties to earn a living. These work-related injuries may cause pain, reduce mobility and physical function, and affect overall quality of life. However, you do not need to suffer through the injuries you sustain while performing your job. Physiotherapy at Dynamic Physiotherapy can help to treat and manage work-related injuries to relieve pain and restore the mobility and physical function you need to be efficient at your job and daily activities.
