Working your life away…  

Work. It’s an integral part of our everyday lives and one where we spend not only days but years of our lives so it’s important that we work well and work safely! Work means more than our assigned tasks – it shapes our identity and allows us to create the life we lead.

In Queensland, there are around 71 000 general workplace injuries a year affecting 1 in every 35 workers. Males aged 25-34 represent the gender and age group in which most injuries occur, and these are likely due to completing hazardous manual tasks.

This can have a significant impact not only on the individual but on their colleagues, family and friends and their current lifestyle.

 

I’m injured. What next?

Accidents and injuries are a fact of life, but workplace incidents do not have to mean the end of your career or a detrimental change to your lifestyle.

Aside from notifying your employer and relevant insurance body the next best call to action is to link in with a supportive Doctor and develop your road to recovery. This often leads to a referral to an Allied Health Professional such as an exercise physiologist to address any range of motion discrepancies, reduction in strength and retrain safe manual handling and functional movement patterns that are specific to your work.

It’s important to obtain a referral in a timely manner. While an injury can be painful with challenges such as loss of mobility, it’s important to work with someone who can provide the right advice on when and how to move safely to improve your health.

 The good news!

The positive benefits of exercise rehabilitation following a workplace injury include:

• Getting back to work quicker
• Returning to usual leisure and hobby activities
• Less disruption to time or activities spent with your kids
• Feeling in control of your recovery and return to work efforts

A position statement released from The Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine demonstrates the benefits of work from not only a physical standpoint but social and psychological benefits as well.

If you have experienced an injury at work and need assistance in returning to work in a safe and sustainable manner then contact Bodytrack.