Like athletes, those who have a physical job are reliant on their bodies being able to perform. This includes tradespeople, hairdressers, and healthcare practitioners to name a few. Most jobs involve a level of manual handling whether it is moving building supplies, moving patients, or standing for prolonged periods while styling a client’s hair.
Lower back pain is one of the most common injuries within physical jobs, and is often caused by using the incorrect technique when lifting. Those who work in healthcare will complete regular manual handling training on how to safely move patients, while protecting their own bodies, however, many other occupations such as tradespeople, do not complete such training. It is estimated that approximately 21% of workplace injuries involve lifting, carrying or moving. When lifting, it is recommended to bend your knees and hip in a squat-like position, and then straighten your legs to lift. Your back should remain neutral, feet shoulder width apart to provide a stable base of support, and hold the load close to your body.
Nutrition is crucial in fuelling your body for the demands of your work, while also helping it to recover. It is important that the energy intake from your food is equal to how much energy you use during the day. This energy shouldn’t just come from anything, carbohydrates should be a primary source of energy and should be included to provide readily available fuel for your body. Protein is essential for your muscles to grow and repair to meet the demands of your work, and hydration is vital both while you are working and to aid recovery. For more information about the importance of hydration, check out our previous blog post “How does hydration reduce injury risk?“.
Particularly important in manual labour jobs involving repetitive heaving lifting and moving, rest and recovery is vital in remaining injury free while at work. Without sufficient rest and recovery, your body will become fatigued, leading to an increased risk of injury. Recovery allows the body to repair and rebuild itself, in addition to helping to reduce muscle soreness and prevent overuse injuries. Rest is a crucial component to recovering from a days work. 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night is recommended to optimise recovery. Sleep allows the body to repair damaged tissues, regulate hormone levels and restore energy. Other effective active recovery techniques include stretching, foam rolling and massage.
As is the case with athletes, strength training plays a key part in preventing the repetitive strains associated with most physically demanding jobs. Repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) occur when the same action is repeated overtime, leading to muscle imbalances, fatigue and tissue damage. Strength training exercises help to build generalise strength and stability, maintaining strength throughout your body. Completing strength based exercises will also help to improve muscular endurance, important for those with physical jobs when required to perform tasks for a prolonged period of time. It is important that all exercises are completed with proper technique and under appropriate load to avoid increasing your risk of injury while exercising.
To be able to use the correct techniques when undertaking manual work, it is important to have optimal mobility at every joint. Without having mobile joints, you will be unable to recruit the appropriate muscles to complete the tasks involved in your job. Maintaining good mobility helps to distribute the workload evenly throughout your body, reducing the risk of overuse injuries. Regular participation in activities such as yoga and pilates can increase flexibility and improve muscular control throughout the range of movement that you have. In addition to this, stretching and foam rolling can have significant benefit to mobility and flexibility.
This blog post is not designed to replace a full assessment from qualified healthcare professional, and outlines just a few ways you can keep your body healthy with a physically demanding job. If you would like to discuss injury prevention, or to book an appointment, contact us.
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