If you’ve ever experienced an injury at work, there’s no doubt it’s a stressful time, especially if it takes you off the job. You may be in pain and must avoid not only strenuous work duties, but certain activities at home, too. Money can quickly become a big stressor.
How a Physical Therapist Can Help Reduce Stress
A recent post on Risk and Insurance talked about how an on-site physical therapist can help reduce this injury-related stress. While we may not be the first provider you think of for stress management, we can help you!
As physical therapists, we have an advantage over many healthcare providers in that we can spend more time with our patients on a regular basis. At Peak Form, we have 40 minutes at a time, once or twice per week. We can tell if you’re having a good day or a bad one, if we know you well enough. Sometimes it’s helpful to have a familiar face to whom you can ask questions. No, we’re not mental health providers but we can recognize when talking to one may be helpful.
How Mental Health is Important to Reduce Recovery Time
Mental health is important for physical healing and your overall sense of well-being. Increased stress may slow your healing process and keep you down for longer. A survey by The Conference Board found that nearly 80% of workers are worried about their mental health – and not due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They are worried because of job stressors. Add in a workplace injury, and burnout becomes a real possibility.
Consistency of Care is Important
It’s hard to attend therapy sessions every week; sometimes two or three times per week. That’s demanding on your time, but we use your time wisely and get you moving. Exercise has long been shown to be helpful in stress management, as it helps to regulate stress hormones (such as cortisol). But, with the right dosage of exercise, it can be therapeutic for you in more ways than one, and the end goal is the same: to get you back to work, quickly and safely.
