WORK RELATED CONDITIONS
At Pro Therapy we understand the importance of being able to work without pain or worse get back to work due to your work related injury. We understand that you and your family’s livelihood likely depends on that. With those worries comes a great deal of stress and questions that you probably have right now. How long will this pain last? How long will it be before I can return to work? At Pro Therapy we will help you navigate through this very stressful time and have you back to work without pain in no time. Below are a just a few of the common work related injuries we see and have had unbelievable success treating.
Improper Lifting Mechanics
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Lateral Epicondylitis
Shoulder Impingement Syndrome
Trigger Finger
Proper body mechanics with lifting objects is super important at work and throughout our daily life. If proper body mechanics are not utilized it could possibly lead to major injury to the back which is basically the body’s foundation. You want to always have a wide base of support which means both feet should be about shoulder width apart. Next step is properly squatting down to pick up objects with only bending at the hip and knees maintaining wide base of support. During the lift you always want to make sure you maintain posture, keep head up, and chest up. Once you have object in hand to set it back down you should use the same technique. When lifting things you always want to avoid any twisting, bending of the back and always try to keep object close to your body. Also always avoid overreaching for any objects.
CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a painful disorder of the wrist and hand, caused by pressure on the median nerve in the carpal tunnel in your hand. Carpal tunnel is most commonly seen in people who use computers for many hours, carpenters, assembly-line workers, musicians, and auto mechanics. Some common symptoms of carpal tunnel may include numbness feeling in the fingers, pain and/or numbness during the night, burning or tingling in thumb, index along with middle fingers, hand weakness, trouble gripping objects, difficulty making a fist and swollen feeling within the fingers. Physical therapy (PT) for carpal tunnel may include stretching techniques, splints to help immobilize wrist, modalities for pain, and modification of daily activities.
LATERAL EPICONDYLITIS
Lateral epicondylitis or most commonly known as tennis elbow is a form of tendonitis (swelling of the tendons) that produces pain within the arm and elbow. Most commonly tennis elbow is seen in sports such as tennis, racquetball, squash, fencing, and weightlifting. Tennis elbow can also be seen in certain jobs such as carpentry, typing, painting, raking, and knitting. Some symptoms of tennis elbow include radiating pain into the upper/lower arm, pain with lifting, making a fist, gripping, opening doors, shaking hands, and raising the hand. Physical therapy for tennis elbow could include stretching, strengthening weakened muscles, modalities for pain, rest, and ice/heat.
SHOULDER IMPINGEMENT SYNDROME
Shoulder impingement syndrome is a direct result of part of the rotator cuff getting compressed by the acromioclavicular joint while performing overhead movements. Many individuals that have manual jobs which require repetitive motions, specifically overhead reaching have a very high risk of experiencing impingement. If the impingement continues and is not addressed, the injury could become more serious with tearing of the tendons. Rotator cuff musculature is composed of four separate muscular tendons including the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis. Symptoms of impingement include pain, weakness, and possible numbness in the upper part of the affected arm. First, treatment consists of skilled physical therapy to assess and determine which tendon is impinged then a plan of care is prescribed to initiate a stretching protocol, strengthening of RTC tendons, decreasing inflammation of affected tendon, pain management, and patient education of home exercise program. Dry needling could also be an option to directly stimulate affected tendon to send blood flow to it to promote healing. Prevention of shoulder impingement consists of regular stretching and strengthening of rotator cuff musculature. If you have these symptoms, contact your doctor of physical therapy to assist with correcting the issue and most importantly, preventing irreversible damage.
TRIGGER FINGER
Trigger finger is a form of tendinitis that most commonly affects the thumb, middle finger, or ring finger of postmenopausal women; or is also commonly present in patients with rheumatoid arthritis or diabetes. In the clinic, we actually see this in many laborers that are required to use a nail gun law enforcement that take many rounds of target shooting aw well. Trigger finger is the lack of ability of the flexor tendons in the hand to slide through the flexor sheath which results in a sudden jerking motion forcing the tendon through the sheath. Symptoms of trigger finger include clicking, popping, or locking of the affected flexor tendon leaving the affected finger in a flexed position making finger extension quite difficult. It actually appears to be stuck in the position of “pulling the trigger.” Conservative treatment consists of physical therapy including manual stretching of flexor tendon, strengthening of extensor muscles to promote extension, decreasing inflammation, pain management, possible splinting, patient education of home exercise program. The doctor may also suggest injections. Surgical intervention may be required if not improved with conservative treatment. If surgery is required, further physical therapy is required to increase strength and range of motion throughout affected hand to prevent chance of re-injury.
HOW WILL PRO THERAPY TREAT MY WORK RELATED INJURY?
Our Northern Mississippi therapists at Pro Therapy will start by searching for the root of the problem. Not only will we perform a full physical therapy evaluation but we’ll also consult with your medical doctor to find the personalized treatment plan that will suit you best. The need to overcome your work injury and return to normal work and home life as soon and safely as possible is of the up most importance. Start the treatment process for your work related injury by scheduling an appointment or giving us a call today.