Injury Prevention. The Key to a Healthy Work Force.
TEN tradies are badly injured at work every day, with nearly all roofers, plumbers and labourers suffering back pain, joint stress and muscle strain from their trade.
Due to these alarming statistics the Australian Physiotherapy Association has declared August National Tradies Health Month, with the aim of educating Australian tradies to keep a check on their health and wellbeing.
Tradies endure physical demands similar to that of professional athletes, however there is one major difference - athletes look after their bodies.
Professional athletes seek advice and choose healthy lifestyles thanks to education from health professionals such as physiotherapists, personal trainers, dietitians, podiatrists and myotherapists.
Tradies meanwhile just “push through the pain” and are left to deal with the consequences in later years.
Here is a simplified version of how wear and tear injuries progress. Initial injury, small and insignificant, let’s call it a niggle. This may hang around for days, weeks, months or years. At some point it will start to get worse due to tightness and or weakness and can cause issues such as tendonitis, bursitis and arthritis. Over the next 10 to 20 years, thanks to the ‘just putting up with it’ attitude, that insignificant niggly injury will turn into painful and debilitating osteoarthritis with the only treatment option left being a total joint replacement.
If you head to your local physio or health professional in the first week or two and treat that insignificant ‘niggle,’ you may save yourself and your company not only hundreds of thousands of dollars due to lost time, surgical bills and early retirement, but also eliminate the stress and frustration of having a chronic injury.
So whether you’re a seasoned tradie or a first year apprentice look after yourself. Your health is your number one tool.
On Friday, August 28 at 4pm, Callahan Physiotherapy along with Mildura Waves and Healthy Together Mildura will host a free healthy lifestyle seminar at the Benetook Room of the Alfred Deakin Centre in Deakin Avenue. This will be targeted at tradies however all community members are welcome.