How can physical therapy help when you develop an injury at work?

You hoped it would never happen to you, but unfortunately, it has. You’ve developed an injury at work. Dealing with such an injury can be stressful on many levels. However, working with a physical therapist can help take away some of the stress related to your injury. 

Yet you may not be keen to seek out physical therapy after a work injury. You aren’t the only one. One study found that less than 10% of people who can benefit from physical therapy actually use it. Why? There are many possible reasons. One of them may be that people aren’t sure exactly what physical therapy can do to help when you develop an injury at work. 

Three ways physical therapists can help you after an injury at work

Physical therapists are eager to help their patients gain knowledge about many different topics, including how they can help you after an injury at work. The help they can offer goes far beyond the potential to reduce your pain or help you recover faster. Some of the other ways these medical professionals can help you include: 

1. Helping you avoid injury aggravation — There are certain tasks you routinely do at work or around your home that could aggravate your injury. Physical therapists can talk with you about your daily tasks. From this, they can determine which tasks could aggravate your injury. Additionally, they can advise you on ways to modify your normal daily tasks or which tasks to avoid so that your injury doesn’t get worse. 

2. Determining how an injury has affected your ability to function — Even after an injury has healed, it can still keep you from functioning at your best. A functional capacity evaluation by a physical therapist can help you learn what deficits you have. Your physical therapist can then help you address these functional limitations. 

3. Addressing issues that could lead to future injuries — Issues within your own body can put you at risk of developing another injury. However, issues with your work environment can do the same thing. An ergonomic assessment by a physical therapist can help. This service allows your physical therapist to pinpoint workplace issues that could lead to future injuries. They can then recommend specific fixes that can reduce your future injury risk. 

Get help for a work-related injury at Back in Motion

Need effective treatment for an injury you developed at work? Back in Motion Physical Therapy’s experienced physical therapists are eager to help you address your injury. You can get started by signing up for a free screening with us. Then, our physical therapists can build you a recovery plan that’s designed to reduce your pain and much more. 

Contact us today for more information about our work injury treatment services or to schedule an initial appointment to start treating your injury.