The Occupational Physio Case: Do You Really Need It?

In the modern era of economic developments in the service industry, the health problems of workers are increasing. Most complaints have their causes in the physical exertion – according to the motto “What is not used is wasted”. A lack of physical demand results in back pain, joint problems, metabolic disorders, and other diseases. Employees have to take sick leave more and more often.

 

In addition to physical illnesses, on the other hand, mental problems started to gain momentum, usually caused by stress, high work tempo, and time pressure. Consequently, employees naturally become less productive and less motivated, because everyday work is associated with numerous health issues.

 

Thanks to these arising issues many companies in the physio Manly West area have started to improve conditions in the workplace. This article focuses on how occupational physio is applied among the workforce in the Manly West area.

 

Measures Of Workplace Health Promotion

 

Occupational physio methods applied in physio Manly West clinics are recommended for all diseases related to worker’s society. But the prevention they are promoting is even better. One way to keep the body healthy and fit is to exercise. That is why many physio Manly West clinics offer various exercise programs for employers and their employees. These and many other measures are part of workplace health promotion.

 

The first aim of occupational physio health promotion is to prevent employees from becoming ill at work. It is a modern strategy of companies that strengthens the health of employees and improves their well-being.

 

Pain or other illnesses often have more than just physical causes. Mental and emotional connections must be examined to be able to cure the disease properly and completely. For this reason, the high-level occupational physio clinics that operate in the physio Manly West precinct play an important role. They promise not only physical but also mental health through a holistic approach. They explain the biological interaction so that the causes of an illness can be understood and a solution can be sought together.

 

Benefits Of Workplace Health Promotion

 

Successful implementation of occupational physio health promotion has many advantages for both employers and employees. Company health promotion ensures good performance of all employees. In this way, the company can save money in the long term because the employees perform better and take sick leave less often. This reduces the costs of illness and production losses.

 

In addition, the state of health amongst the workforce improves and the health risks are reduced. This means that the employee has to go to the doctor less often, so he is more present at the workspace.

 

This commitment to employees enhances the company’s image and strengthens its competitiveness. Also, the working atmosphere improves due to the satisfaction of the employees. This motivates them to help shape the workplace and the workflow.

 

In continuation of the text, we will present how important proper occupational physio treatment is, through some cases that happened in practice. Let’s look at some of them:

 

CASE nr.1

 

Polypipe Group is one of the largest manufacturers of piping systems, climate, and water management systems in Europe with 3,000 workforces across the United Kingdom. As in all other businesses in World, the Polypipe Group company is faced with an aging workforce that provides a wide range of physical tasks and manual handling. The nature of the work performed by the factories often led to an increased degree of injuries among workers, fatigue, unwillingness, and lower motivation. Due to all these reasons, the work itself suffered, which was seen by a constant slight decline in production, as a whole. Thus, the management Board was forced to do something to improve the workers’ condition, in such a way that it would invest in their health.

 

When we talk about musculoskeletal disorders, the evidence shows that proper occupational physio treatment after an injury occurs helps accelerate the recovery process and also prevents acute health conditions from turning Into chronic.

 

In August 2020, Polypipe Group engaged Sano Physiotherapy Ltd to provide a six-month occupational physio program. During this period, the highly professional occupational physiotherapists from Sano Physiotherapy Ltd were in charge of monitoring the work process and if an unwanted injury occurs, they immediately proceed to deal with the various treatment methods at their disposal.

 

The program was carried out by one of Sano’s best occupational physiotherapists. He was in a permanent connection with the workers, by giving some educational advice and conducting some treatment methods to the concerned workers who complained of musculoskeletal disorders, back pains, knee problems, etc.

 

The results were amazing at the end of the pilot program. After the course ended, 99.1% of all educational meetings between the doctor and the workers were held, demonstrating that the service had confidence between employees and managers. Furthermore, of all employees referred, 54% were treated and discharged after finishing the course and returning to recovery levels. 85% of all workers returned to their previous work duties and reported over 75% minimum improvement in their physical symptoms.

 

After the completion of the program and the conducted numerical research regarding the success, a startling number of 279 saved sick days related to musculoskeletal disorders was reached. Saving 279 sick days during six months in a company with 3.000 workers was outstanding. If we assume that the employee’s earnings are aligned with the national minimum wage and the salary is not increased during sick leave, this leads to data of saving £21,472 in the 6 months, which means at least a 2.5-fold return on investment for Polypipe.

 

A survey was also conducted among the employees regarding how satisfied they were with the service, and the following figures were arrived at:

 

• On the question of ‘How much is possible to recommend the service to a colleague or a friend?’, the outcome was  9.75 (from a scale of 0-10)
• On the question ‘Did the occupational physio service meet your needs?’ the outcome was 10.
• On the question ‘Do you agree that the occupational physio service provided by Sano’s physiotherapy has shortened your recovery time?; the outcome was 10.
• On the question ‘If you have been off work, did attending the occupational physio service lead toward a quicker return to the work process?’ the outcome was 10.

 

CASE nr.2

 

After 25 years of experience working in an old metal sheets company, 47 years old Jim hurt his lower back, by lifting a large 60 lbs sheet of metal. He has worked in his current position at the company for the last 10 years.

Like any normal working day, while carrying the tin, Jim heard a sound coming from the other part of the hall. He suddenly turned to the left and suddenly felt a sharp pain in his spine. The injury occurred 3 weeks ago, and he has been off work ever since. The pain was serious in intensity in the first hours, and then it steadily decreased, but the movement problems remained. Due to the injury, he can’t return to the working process. The injury was diagnosed as a ‘soft tissue injury.

 

It’s worth noting that he has a history of back pain from the past. His first injury occurred previously when he worked as a warehouseman responsible for organizing and lifting containers of sheet metal. Then he received L4/L5 disc herniation and had to have surgery. After the surgery, he underwent a six-month rehabilitation process, with both occupational therapy and physiotherapy. Due to the injury, Jim was out of the work process for 12 months. When he returned to the job, his morale and dedication to the work were at a minimum. He was feeling down and withdrawn. Furthermore, he continued to feel low back pain and found the job difficult.

 

After a 3 week’s absence from the work process, Jim has been contacted by the occupational physiotherapist, engaged from the factory where he worked, to ask him about the injury and the expectations of the return to the process. The clinic was engaged from his factory with the purpose to facilitate a return to work process for injured employees. Jim was asked several questions about his duties at work, about other jobs he has worked in the company, and his plan about returning to work. The therapist was scheduled to perform a ‘functional evaluation’ and give some recommendations on his ability to go back to the work.

 

The occupational physiotherapist practiced the ‘Matheson approach’ as a standardized evaluation protocol, so he determined that Jim could stand for 30 minutes before going to a rest break and for a total of 3 hours during the 6-hour assessment. Jim can lift 30 lbs from knee to waist height and carry 30 lbs over a distance of 100 feet.

 

Over the next period, Jim’s health steadily improved. The pain steadily decreased, which led to Jim returning to his daily household duties, and then to his work duties, faster than expected. Thanks to the occupational physio treatment, the initial pessimistic scenario that he could no longer return to work and would be fired from his job was replaced by a gradual normalization of the situation and a gradual return to working conditions.

 

Do you really need occupational physio treatment?

 

The above examples show that occupational physio can be really useful. An investment in your health is an investment in а better life. The health and well-being of the workers must be a priority nr.1 for every manager. When it comes to larger factories where work is done in demanding working conditions, hiring a top professional in the field of occupational physio Manly West is a safe bet.

 

Final Thoughts

 

Make online research and find out which occupational physio Manly West clinics operate in the area. Find the affordable one and feel free to contact one of them.