Treatments

Occupational Injuries

Occupational injuries cover a broad spectrum of conditions ranging from falling or trauma at one end of the scale to repetitive strain injuries from repeated overuse at the other. Frequently, problems arise in the process of normal everyday activities such as bending, reaching, light lifting or carrying  – which typically trigger spinal pain.

This is very often an indication of an underlying problem which simply surfaces with a specific activity but the causes have been developing over a long period of time. The common causes here are poor postural alignment, limited joint flexibility, reduced muscle tone and poor technique.

In these cases physiotherapy involves not only treating the acute problem but identifying the causes and of course planning the most appropriate interventions to prevent reocurrance.

Another group of conditions in the category of occupational injuries is repetitive strain injury or RSI. Sitting at a computer daily is a repetitive task and getting up from your chair for 5 minutes in every hour is recommended e.g. to get a file or walking to another office to relay a message. Work positions to facilitate optimal muscle and joint function will reduce the risk of developing injury.  Breaks from the repetitive activity combined with stretching exercises are essential to vary the stresses on the tissues and allow them to rest and recover.