At Work

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Overview

Every year thousands of New Zealanders are injured at work, or suffer from a work-related disease. If you experience an injury at work then a physio working in occupational health can provide assessment and rehabilitation to help you remain at work, or return to your job. While the workplace is the main focus a physio can also look at your ability to function at home and in your community.

Symptoms

How many hours in your lifetime will you spend at work? A physio can help you be better at work by advising on posture, repetitive tasks, strain injuries and anything else that affects your health at work.

How physio helps

There are a range of physiotherapy services that can help you be better at work including:

  • Workplace assessments and recommendations
  • Analysing work tasks and recommending changes to prevent injury
  • Education about injury prevention in the workplace including back care and manual handling
  • Treatment of work related injuries
  • Return-to-work planning
  • Stress management and relaxation therapies

FAQ

There are a number of ways to prevent injuries at work and a physio can help you identify these via workplace assessment. A few simple tips to think about include:

  • If you use your hands a lot (such as typing) then give your hands and wrists a quick break every 30 minutes
  • Report any hazardous equipment or areas such as slippery floors or loose carpet
  • Help prevent back injuries by learning the correct way to lift (lift with your legs) and using appropriate lifting equipment where necessary
  • Practise good posture at your desk and consider suitable workstation equipment

Sit less and move more! 10 tips for sitting less in your work day:

  1. Take the stairs instead of the lift
  2. Try a standing meeting or a walking meeting
  3. Fill up your water bottle - on another floor of your building
  4. Stand up when you speak on the phone
  5. Get to work the active way; walk, bike or get off the bus at an earlier stop
  6. Walk over to a colleague and pass on a message instead of emailing
  7. Head to the gym in your lunch break or just take a walk around the block
  8. Try some quick exercises at your desk such as relaxed breathing, arm and neck stretches
  9. Invest in a pedometer and see how many steps you can do in a day
  10. Set up your desk as a standing desk