When you have to soak in an Epsom salt bath for three-hours following your eight-hour shift simply to get ready for the next day's work, you need to think about taking safety measures designed to protect yourself against the dangers of repetitive stress injuries. The United States Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration have identified more than a hundred separate types of job-induced injuries that contribute to beating the body down physically when you are on the clock at your work site.
The Hazards of Working Hard
From the data entry clerk suffering from pain caused by intensive keying activity to the dockworker aching from the exertions of heavy lifting from awkward positions, American workers afflicted with repetitive stress injuries account for one third of all dollars spent on workers' compensation claims paid out to an estimated 2.73 million workers. The average cost per claim of $8,000 is double the averages for other work related injuries.
From the Ergonomic to the Therapeutic
Studies have proven that altering the employee's work environment with ergonomic remedies, and breaking up work routines with short breaks, aimed at reducing muscle fatigue, goes a long way towards heading off incidents of repetitive stress injuries, but once the employee has been afflicted with the condition, the excruciating pain that comes with the condition can benefit from physical therapy. Physical exercise under the tutelage of a trained orthopedic certified specialist in a physical therapy environment is an excellent way to get you back working without the crippling pain that the job engenders.
Rehabilitative Healing at Dynamics Physical Therapy
Here at Herndon, Virginia-based Dynamics Physical Therapy, we are used to seeing the adverse effects of repetitive stress injuries, and we work with our patients to reestablish full range of movements with physical therapy exercises. Located in Herndon's Clock Tower Gold's Gym location, our professional relationship with the gym affords our clients with full access to professional workout equipment, and our therapists know how to use the equipment to get your body back into good physical condition regardless of what the work week might throw at you as you try to make it to the weekend. Rather than soaking in your bathtub for two days however, you should talk to our physical therapists to see how you can get back to enjoying your time off and not dreading your time on the clock.
