Chiropractors Advise on the Types of Work-Related Injuries that are Easy to Avoid

When most people think about chiropractic services, they think of it as a treatment for those suffering from sports injuries or auto accidents. What people often fail to realize is that chiropractic treatment can be used for a wide range of conditions, one of the most prevalent being work-related injuries.

Last year, there were approximately 2.9 million work related injuries and illnesses reported to the U.S Bureau of Labor. Of these, nearly 2.8 million were work-related. When you consider the type of injuries that are usually associated with work, you can see that many of them can be improved with chiropractic care.

Work Injuries

Despite what many people believe, it doesn’t take lifting a 40-pound bag of concrete to acquire a work-related injury. Tasks as simple as reaching down to pick up a pen can result in painful injuries as well. Therefore, it is important to know what the most common causes of work-related injury are and how to reduce the likelihood of them happening to you.

Force

Force injuries occur during the lifting or moving of heavy objects. Your back and neck muscles can become strained due to overexertion while lifting. The likelihood of this happening is even greater if you are subjecting your body to the same amount of force repeatedly, or if you use poor form when lifting and moving. To avoid this happening, always lift with your knees and not your back, keep your head down and in line with your spine, and always ask for help if you think the object is too heavy for you to lift on your own.

Poor Posture

If you regularly slouch, you are putting your spine under undue stress. Make sure that when you’re standing, you keep your back straight and your weight evenly distributed on both feet. Likewise, while sitting at a desk, make sure your chair is at a suitable height, so that you’re not leaning or stretching, and your computer monitor is level with your eyeline.

Repetition

If you are repeating the same motion, it can put an uneven load on your skeleton and muscles. Try to modify your working routine to allow a sufficient break between the times you are lifting or bending. This will give your body time to recover its energy and reduce the likelihood of injury.

If you have experienced some form of work-related injury from one of the above causes and are unsure of what to do, contacting a chiropractor as soon as possible may be the best course of action. They will accurately diagnose your problems and go through the options with you that can help to alleviate your work-related injury pain. Turning to chiropractors for your injury can help you to return to a normal life as quickly as possible, both at home, and at work.

Sources:

Increase in Chiropractic Patients with Work Related Injuries, Medscape.com
Managing Work Related Injuries, Chirocare.com

Dr. Darren Faherty D.C.

In 2004, Dr. Darren Faherty graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in Biology from UWEC - University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. Dr. Darren continued education at the highly esteemed University of Western States (formerly Western States Chiropractic College) where he obtained his chiropractic degree in 2007. He has been helping people recover from injuries and return to their normal lifestyles ever since.