Thousands of employees suffer injuries at work every single day, and some of these injuries force them to miss weeks or months of their job while they recover. Workers’ compensation allows them to collect a portion of their income during this time period, but many individuals just want to get back to full health and return to their job so they can collect their full paycheck. Many individuals who are working towards a return to work following an injury find that physical therapy can help expedite this process and allow them to make a fuller recovery.
At OrthoRehab Specialists, we work with countless individuals who are working their way back to full health following a work injury, and we give them the skills to thrive in their current job or to pursue a more suitable role given any post-injury limitations. We explain how we do that below.
The Benefits of PT After A Work Injury
Here’s a look at a number of reasons why physical therapy can be just what you need as you work to transition back to the workforce following an injury.
- Injury Recovery – For starters, we can help put the injury in the past. Through careful stretching and exercises, we can help strengthen the injury site and expedite soft tissue healing. These exercises also help to push healthy blood to the area, reducing your total healing time. Research has shown that patients who pursue physical therapy for certain types of injuries return to activities much sooner than those who rely on passive treatments, like painkillers and rest.
- Work Ergonomics – Our physical therapists will also ask about your job duties and curtail a PT program to help strengthen areas that are repeatedly stressed throughout your work day. We can also help show you proper lifting techniques or posture routines to ensure you aren’t overloading certain areas of your body during your work duties. This can help to prevent a recurrence of injuries.
- Functional Capacity Maximization – Unfortunately, for some individuals who suffer a work injury, they are never going to get back to a pre-injury level of fitness. However, if you work with a physical therapist during this crucial stage of recovery, you can reach what’s known as maximum functional capacity. Being able to lift 50 pounds instead of 25 pounds or being able to stand for more than an hour because you put in the work during the injury recovery stage will not only help you in your work life, but also at home. The days and weeks after an injury are a make or break time when tissues are recovering and joint flexibility is being reestablished, so work with a PT to maximize these functions.
- Job-Based Skill Teaching – For some workers, specific actions make up a large portion of their day, and we can help design a physical therapy program to help strengthen key areas of your body that are used regularly in your job. We can also teach you a PT program that you can perform in your home or at the office if pain develops to help you get through the day.
So if you’re working your way back to full health so you can return to your job, consider setting up a session with a PT at OrthoRehab Specialists to see how we can help you get back quicker and in a fuller capacity. For more information, reach out to our team today at (612) 339-2041.