Due to hurricane damage, the Havelock location is closed until further notice. Havelock therapists Hannah Zhang, Sarah Hall and Judy Hickes are available to see patients at the New Bern location. Please call the New Bern location at (252) 636-9800 to discuss your care.

Why you should use physical therapy to treat work injuries

occupational therapy

The worst part about getting injured at work is that you take your injury home with you, and this means it can affect all parts of your life. If you’ve been injured at work, you should speak with a physical therapist about treatment options.

Many injuries can be treated without the use of invasive surgery. Work injury therapy is intended to help workers rebuild the strength and flexibility of muscles and ligaments. In turn, this can allow them to return to work more rapidly. Plus, this type of therapy can help reduce pain, so you don’t have to take as many pain-relieving drugs that come with undesirable side effects.

Types of work injuries that physical therapy can treat

Physical therapists are capable of treating a variety of conditions that affect your muscles, bones, joints, tendons and ligaments. Since many workplace injuries can benefit from treating these areas, you should visit a physical therapist for help recovering from:

  • Falls
  • Slips
  • Getting struck by an object
  • Electric shock
  • Motor vehicle accidents
  • Machinery accidents
  • Overexertion, including lifting too many heavy objects or typing for too long on a keyboard

Does workers’ compensation cover physical therapy?

One of the primary concerns for workers if they’ve been injured, besides recovering, is paying for treatment. Fortunately, workers’ comp covers medical treatments, including physical therapy, for many workers in the U.S.

You do have to take some steps for workers’ comp to apply to physical therapy. Generally, you have to see a doctor first. He or she will verify that you need physical therapy for optimal recovery. Other steps may also be necessary. These steps can vary from state to state, so check your state’s rules and regulations regarding workers’ comp.

How physical therapists treat work injuries

Many people assume that people with the same work injury can be treated exactly the same. This isn’t necessarily the case. Often, how your body reacts to an injury is different from the reaction of another worker with the same injury. Factors that can affect how you react to an injury include age, injury severity and how fit you are. 

Physical therapists are trained to treat an injury based on how it’s specifically affecting you. They do so by creating individualized therapy plans that can include techniques like: 

Find effective work injury treatment at Peak Performance

Are you a worker who’s been injured on the job? Would you like to get help from a physical therapist in recovering from your work injury? Our team of therapy specialists at Peak Performance are ready and willing to help you. 

We’ll start your treatment process by performing a free screening. This gives us the chance to learn exactly how your body is reacting to the injury. Our team will then use this information to construct an individualized therapy plan to fit your needs. 

Contact us today for more information about our treatment options or to schedule an initial appointment.