A work injury can happen to anyone who does just about any kind of work. Even sitting at a desk all day could lead to some type of injury. This is evident from the 2.7 million work injuries and illnesses that occurred in 2020.
Yet not every injured worker may feel they can stay out of work after an injury. Financial pressures, not knowing that you have been injured or not understanding your injury’s severity can lead to you forcing yourself to go back to work after an injury. Physical therapists can help work injury sufferers who are dealing with these and other pressures. They can even help you continue to recover if you are forcing yourself to go back to work after an injury.
How can physical therapists help if you’re forced to go back to work after an injury?
Forcing yourself to go back to work after an injury is fairly common. Fortunately, there are ways physical therapists can help you even if something is forcing you back to work after an injury. They can help:
- Establish the type of injury you have — This is important for effective treatment. Knowing the type of work injury you have can also help if you are returning to work before your injury heals. For instance, you could ask to switch to a position that allows you to sit more if you have a sprained ankle. This is harder to do if all you know is that your ankle hurts.
- Determine the severity of your injury — How severe your injury is can also affect what you’re able to do if you must return to work. A physical therapist can evaluate the injured area and your movements. They can also ask you questions about your symptoms. Piecing together all this information allows physical therapists to pinpoint how bad your injury is. In turn, this info can help them give you a better idea of how long it may take your injury to heal.
- Reduce pain — Injuries that haven’t fully healed can still cause pain. Physical therapists can take steps to reduce your pain as much as possible. By doing so, they can help those who are forced back to work after an injury to be as productive as possible while they recover. Some of the techniques your physical therapist may use to cut your pain include:
- Joint mobilization.
- Soft tissue mobilization.
- Astym® therapy.
- Aquatic therapy.
- Avoid injury aggravation — It’s important to avoid aggravating an injury once you go back to work. Certain tasks you do or the ways you do them could worsen your injury or its symptoms. Your physical therapist can work with you to avoid these types of injury aggravation. They can help you learn which tasks you should avoid. Additionally, they can show you alternative ways to perform certain tasks.
Excel PT can help if you’re forcing yourself to go back to work after an injury
Forcing yourself to return to work after an injury? You can find help and support from our team at Excel Sports & Physical Therapy. The free screenings we offer can help us determine the type and severity of your work injury. Our physical therapists can then build you an individualized treatment plan to fit your needs. They can even modify your plan if you must return to work before your injury is fully healed. Also, our specialists can meet with you via virtual PT sessions. This can make it easier to continue meeting with us after you’ve returned to work.
Contact our team today for more information about all the ways we can help with your work injury or to schedule an initial appointment.
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