As per the National Safety Council, every seven seconds a worker is injured on the job. While over-exertion accounts for 33.5% of workplace injury events, 26% are due to improper contact with equipment or objects, and another 26% are due to slips, trips, or falls. Some of the outcomes of these events are: 

• Musculoskeletal Disorders: These include sprains, strains, tears, pain, or soreness. Besides contributing to loss of productivity for the employer, such injuries have severe and potentially debilitating long-term effects on the people who are actually suffering from them. 
• Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSI): A fast growing category of workplace injuries, RSI comprises over 100 different job-induced injuries that could inhibit movement and cause crippling pain. These injuries can potentially impair the individual’s ability to perform their job.
• Other injuries: This includes cuts, punctures, lacerations, or other injuries that could lead to a visit to the hospital or the Emergency Room.

Good housekeeping practices, quality walking surfaces, proper lighting solutions, safeguards for moving parts of machines, safety training, protective equipment, better workplace design are the necessary aspects of avoiding work related injuries. 

However, preventing musculoskeletal disorders or RSI would also mean investing in good ergonomics. It is all about adjusting the job to fit the body’s needs through simple and inexpensive solutions, such as: 

• Taking frequent short breaks to stretch and relax the relevant body parts and give them the rest and recovery they need. Lack of breaks can strain the muscles and tendons and eventually limit movement or mobility.
• Learning proper techniques for manually lifting heavy objects. Without assistance or lifting devices, lifting objects over 50lbs can cause serious injuries.
• Investing in ergonomic furniture, such as a comfortable chair or a quality work desk, and wearing proper footwear.
• Consciously practicing good posture, especially in jobs that involve continuous or intense keying, typing, and clicking on electronic devices, or other repeat movements.

At Medical Rehabilitation Centers of Pennsylvania (MRCP), we have decades of experience in treating work related injuries through physical therapy. With comprehensive diagnostics and customized treatment plans, we aim to provide relief from a range of painful conditions that inhibit your work and lifestyle.

For tailor-made physical therapy treatments in and around Philadelphia or the Greater Philadelphia Area, contact us at the location of your choice, or fill out our online form and we