Many people come to see us after they have suffered an injury, and we are happy to help them, but many of these injuries could have been prevented if they had come before they had the injury. A great part of the physiotherapy treatment protocol has to do with injury prevention.
Depending on your lifestyle, daily activities, work environment, level of health, age or chosen sport, there are many injury prevention techniques available. Here are a few examples:
- Design work, tasks or processes that facilitate variety.
- Avoid a fully flexed spine and rotate the trunk using the hips during all loading tasks.
- While lifting, use a good posture while keeping the external load close to the body.
- Use tools or techniques that minimise the weight of the load being handled.
- Avoid lifting or spine-bending shortly after rising from bed.
- Pre-stress and stabilise the back even during light lifting or twisting tasks.
- Use momentum when lifting awkwardly placed light loads.
- Avoid prolonged sitting.
- Consider suitable rest break strategies based on your job demands.
- Practice joint-friendly movement patterns.
- Maintain a reasonable level of fitness and weight.
Often, simply learning to move or hold your body differently can prevent many injuries. Sometimes external factors need to be addressed, such as your work or home environment.
In any case, injury prevention is a wide topic that looks into many aspects of your daily life. Contact us for an appointment and analysis.