The work place is a common source of injury to the spine and extremities. Many people first encounter painful and debilitation conditions of the neck, shoulders and arms, or lower back and legs as a result of some incident that can be related to a work activity. The incident may be one single traumatic event such as a forecful or unbalanced lift or a slip and fall type of accident. It may also be related to a non forceful motion or activity which is simple repeated many times a day, possibly in a position of mechanical disadvantage.
Most common among work related conditions are those effecting the neck and lower back. The spine consists of the 24 moveable vertebral bodies and the disc in between them. The spine sits on the pelvis, consisting of the sacrum, coccyx and the hips. Vertebral bodies can be thought of as blocks of bone, whose chief function is to bare weight and provide a strong protective covering over the spinal cord. The spinal cord together with the brain forms the central part of the nervous system. The intervertebral discs can be thought of as shock absorbers, but they also function to allow the spinal segments to move. The spine is supporteb by various different groups of ligaments and tendons and powered by the muscles which attach to the spine in the neck, mid and lower back.
Complete Treatment Plan - A thorough explanation and complete treatment plan will be presented and reviewed with you before your care is begun. You will be encouraged to ask questions to ensure that you are knowledgeable about your condition, comfortable with the treatments you are to receive, and familiar with the expected outcome. Different modalities, such as heat, cold, electrical muscle stimulation, massage or traction may also be used to help control your pain and maximize the effects of the adjustment. Your doctor may conduct a review of your job site, and make recommendations about changes in body position or tool use. This is important in order to reduce the likelihood that you become re-injured once you have returned to work. You may also be asked to participate with an in-office "Back to School". This is designed to teach you how to properly bend, lift, twist and perform other common actions, as well as some activities specific to your form of work. This can also be conducted as a work site injury reduction program. Dietary review and therapeutic exercises may also be incorporated into your care. |
|
|
