Work Injuries
Work injury are one of the most common types of injuries that may require physiotherapy treatment. According to the latest report released by ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) in the years 2017-18, more than half of the ‘time-offs’ of employees in Australia were due to a work injury or illness.
Physiotherapy plays a significant role for the treatments of work injuries. The combination of physiotherapy and other physical therapy services can reduce the patient’s pain and allow the patient to have a better quality of life.
Some injuries may not require physiotherapy treatment. If you are wondering whether physiotherapy can be beneficial for your situation and the injury that you have suffered at work, you need to consult with your GP or specialist.
The Most Common Types of Work Injuries
There are different types of injuries that you may suffer from at work. It is crucial for a physiotherapist to have enough information about the work you are involved in and what type of injury you have suffered from, to make a final decision on the type of treatment plan you will receive.
Back pain/Neck Pain
Back pain along with neck pain are the two most common type of pains when it comes to work injuries. The cause of the injury to your back or neck can be by lifting, pushing, pulling or bending or other types of causes depending on the work you are involved in.
Back/neck pain may affect your sleep or your daily activities at the time you are sitting or standing. The severity of the injury and the cause of pain on dependent on the area of injury in your body. Your back pain may be as a result of injury you have sustained on your discs, joints nerves, neck muscles, ligament strain, bones and more.
Muscle sprain/strain
This is also another common type of injury that you may sustain at work. Sprain/strain of the muscle relates to the damaged that was caused to the soft tissue of the body. This can include damage to:
- Nerves
- Disks
- Veins
- Ligaments
- Tendons
The areas in the body that are mostly affected by this type of injury are, back, wrist, thumb, knee and ankle and the most common symptoms include bruising, swelling, pain, stiffness, muscle spasm, reduced efficiency and limited flexibility.
It is also important to note that sprain/strain of muscle is not only caused by a one-time incident. Other causes of this type of injury may include repetition and duration. This is at the time that the employee is required to repeat the same movement which can also lead to injuries (will be discussed below).
Repetitive Motion Injuries
Repetitive motion injuries are among the most common types of injuries that you may sustain at work. This type of injury can be caused by repeating the same activity for a long time. The type of activity that causes this injury can be as simple as throwing a ball, however the injury is caused to your body due to the repetition of that activity.
The types of symptoms may differ among patients based on the injury they have sustained at work. The most common symptoms are reduction of sensation or strength (you may also experience the complete loss of sensation and strength), swelling, stiffness and pain.
The following include some of the conditions that fall into the category of repetitive motion injuries.
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)
Carpal tunnel syndrome relates to palms or forearms of the hand or wrist when the median nerve is pressed or squeezed. The initial symptoms may appear slowly in patients. The most common symptoms include pain, tingling or numbness. CTS may also cause weakness in your hands and you may have difficulties holding things.
You may not experience the symptoms constantly in the start. However, as the condition worsens over time, you will regularly start feeling the symptoms.
Tendinitis
Tendinitis may cause tenderness or pain in the damaged area and it relates to inflammation or irritation of the tendon. The symptoms may include tightness or swelling of the damaged area.
In addition to repetition motion injuries, other causes and risk factors of tendinitis may be age of the patient, or sport injuries.
How Can I Prevent Getting Injured at Work
Depending on the work you do, there are many ways you can prevent injuries. For instance, you can suffer from long term injuries if you are working in an office environment where you spend most of the day sitting down. In order to prevent long term injuries in an office environment, it is important for you to stay hydrated, take regular small breaks, stretch at least 10 minutes a day and ensure that you have the right posture while sitting down.
There is also high risk of injury in the cases of tradies. For instance, painters may suffer from shoulder and neck injuries or builders may suffer from injuries on their lower back due to heavy lifting. For the prevention of such injuries, you should always stay hydrated and ensure that you are following all safety procedures.
What To Expect in Physiotherapy Sessions?
In your initial physiotherapy session, a physiotherapist will be assessing your condition and creating a treatment plan that best suits your condition and needs. The goals of your treatment plan are dependent on the seriousness and the type of your Work Injuries.
The goals in your physiotherapy sessions may include:
- Educating the patient on the cause of the injury and the ways to prevent future injuries at work
- treatment to manage or eliminate the pain
- improve and strengthen the flexibility
- providing plan that can allow the patient to return to work as soon as possible
The types of treatment we offer include for Work Injuries:
- Laser therapy.
- Shockwave therapy
- Hydrotherapy
- Traction therapy
- Exercise prescription
- Electrotherapy
- Kinesiology taping
- Rigid taping
- Dry needling
- Manual therapy and hands on treatment
- Soft tissue massage
In addition to the services explained above, a physiotherapist can conduct a work site assessment to provide a comprehensive report on the causes of the injuries that employees may sustain in a work site and how those injuries can be prevented.
For more information in relation to the types of treatment we provide, refer to the conditions tab in your website or call us on (02) 9637 5708.
This article is not a substitute to medical advice, please consult with your GP for more information.
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