How conditioned is your body for the day-to-day tasks you do at your job? It may seem strange to think about, but many of the injuries that people sustain at work could have been avoided with some simple work conditioning treatments. Work conditioning typically occurs after an injury has been sustained and it consists of several targeted movements and exercises to help an injured employee recover. If you have been injured at work, contact Step Ahead Physical Therapy today to find out how work conditioning can benefit you!
What is work conditioning?
Work conditioning is a program that patients can participate in only after their acute or chronic injuries have been managed. They will receive traditional rehabilitation treatments for their injury as deemed appropriate by one of our Cambridge and Marblehead physical therapists. Once the rehabilitation is complete and the injury is healed, work conditioning can begin. It is considered one of the final steps of the rehabilitation process to prepare someone to return to work.
Before you begin your program, you and your physical therapist will discuss realistic and functional return-to-work goals that you’d like to achieve within a certain time frame. Your physical therapist will make sure that you are pain-free, as well as restriction-free in your range of motion before creating a plan to fit your needs.
Work conditioning is always condition-specific, as it is targeted toward the physically demanding duties of your job. For example, if you work in carpentry and you recently recovered from a shoulder injury that occurred on the job, you may be asked to perform certain tasks such as hammering above your head or lifting weights for a designated amount of time, in order to strengthen the shoulder and condition your body for the work you will have to do once you return.
The main idea of work conditioning is to regain function and increase strength, in order to return to work in a timely manner and prevent any additional injuries from occurring again.
How will work conditioning benefit me?
Work conditioning programs typically focus on five main components for preparing you to return to work:
Strength
Flexibility
Posture
Aerobic conditioning
Work stimulation
Your physical therapist will create a personalized work conditioning plan for your specific needs. While all conditioning is different, it is centered around the same goal: returning you to work. Your conditioning plan will consist of specific exercises, stretches, and physical activities that will allow you to achieve your maximum physical ability in each of the main components.
Once you achieve successful progress in each component, you and your physical therapist will discuss if you are ready to return to work, or if a work hardening program is necessary.
Contact Step Ahead Physical Therapy today:
Many people report feeling significantly more physically capable after completing a work conditioning program. It helps you work more efficiently and comfortably at work, while simultaneously putting your mind at ease knowing you are at a lower risk of sustaining another injury.
Our Cambridge and Marblehead physical therapy practice is dedicated to getting you back to work in the best possible condition. If you have recently recovered from an injury and you’d like to figure out how a work conditioning program could improve both your work life and your overall health, contact Step Ahead Physical Therapy today to schedule your appointment.