Tradies have among the highest number of injuries, musculoskeletal conditions and other health and safety risks of any profession. Every day 10 tradies are badly injured at work. That is 3650 tradies a year on workers compensation. Nearly a quarter of all roofers, labourers and plumbers experience back pain, muscle stress and strain from lifting equipment or slips, trips, and falls when handling materials.
Osteopaths play a critical role in providing early healthcare intervention support–through diagnosing, treating, and preventing disease and disability through physical means. Working in partnership with their patients, osteopaths can help recovery from injury, reduce pain and stiffness, and increase mobility, and also prevent further injury.
How Can Osteopathy Help?
Osteopaths are experts in human movement. They understand how your muscles, bones, joints and ligaments work and how injuries happen. Osteopaths are able to help get you back to work faster. Osteopaths can:
- Assess your muscle strength, flexibility and fitness to design an appropriate fitness program
- Teach you how to better handle loads, to move more efficiently and safely
- Teach you how to engage your trunk core stabilisers when performing a task
- Show you how to prevent injury in your home or workplace
- Treat muscle, joint and ligament injuries to assist with a successful recovery
They may use:
- Joint mobilisation & manipulation
- Electrotherapy e.g. ultrasound TENS
- Massage and mobilisation to increase flexibility and range of movement directed towards soft-tissue structures, articular structures and neural tissue
- Dry needling
- Muscle energy techniques
- Activity modification advice
- Biomechanical correction
- Postural assessment, correction and advice
- Ergonomic advice regarding work role modifications, if required
- Exercises to improve flexibility, strength, posture and core stability
- Stretching
- Taping
- Use of a sacroiliac belt or lumbar brace
- Use of a lumbar roll for sitting
- A gradual return to activity program
Early intervention and treatment through osteopathy and the promotion of preventative health and wellbeing can prolong working careers and improve general wellbeing for any worker in the trade industry.