You’ve probably experienced it at least once in your life. You hurt yourself while working, and now you can’t return to work immediately after the injury. This can be frustrating and depressing, but you can take steps to make the situation better by utilizing physical therapy.
How physical therapy can help you
Treatment from a physical therapist is often how people with work-related injuries can get back on their feet and return to work. A physical therapist can work to help you improve mobility, build strength and range of motion, decrease pain, and restore function. Additionally, they can help reduce your risk of a future injury.
How long does physical therapy take?
There are a lot of different factors that influence how long it can take to recover from a work injury. You may only need a few PT sessions to address minor work injuries. If you’re making good progress at that point, your physical therapist may be able to taper off your sessions and provide exercises for you to do on your own. But how long your physical therapy takes ultimately depends on the type of injury you have, its severity and how you respond to treatment.
3 ways a physical therapist can help those who can’t return to work right after an injury
- Strengthening
If you can’t return to work after an injury — a shoulder issue, for instance — your physical therapist may have you work on your strength. People with shoulder impingements may have muscle imbalances in their upper bodies, specifically, in their rotator cuff. Incorporating rotator cuff strengthening exercises into your routine can help reduce your risk of future injuries.
There are many exercises that may be used to target each section of your rotator cuff. That includes both side-lying external rotation and abduction exercises. Ask your physical therapist for specific exercises that can help you treat your shoulder impingement at home.
- Manual physical therapy
Physical therapists can perform manual physical therapy to treat many types of work injuries. Indeed, they often use this category of treatment when working to decrease pain and improve flexibility. For instance, joint mobilization is one type of manual therapy. It can be very helpful for workers who are trying to regain range of motion after an injury.
- Graston Technique®
The Graston Technique, a type of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM), is designed to break up scar tissue using special instruments. It is intended to release adhesions and fascial restrictions, which can help soft tissue to move more freely.
Chronic pain caused by overuse injuries can often be effectively treated with it. Hand, elbow, shoulder, back and knee injuries can all benefit from the Graston Technique, too.
Border TS can offer effective physical therapy when you can’t return to work right after an injury
If you can’t return to work right after an injury, we are here to help. Border Therapy Services has physical therapists who are experts at treating work-related injuries. To assess the best course of action, we can perform a free screening for you. Moreover, our therapists can design a customized physical therapy plan for you. This plan will focus on reducing your pain and preventing it from returning.
Contact us for more information or schedule an appointment with our team if you suffer a work-related injury.