After my recent research into physical therapy and occupational therapy, one theme that came up was going back to work after an injury. You’ve had your time off, you’ve seen the docs, you’ve recovered from surgery and done the therapy… now it’s time to start getting back to your old life.
Transitional work may be part of that plan. This is the space between recovery and fully recovered, where you may be able to do part (but not all) of your job tasks. During this transitional period, there is often a danger of further injury. Your health care professionals (including physical and/or occupational therapists) can help at this time:
- Evaluate a patient’s ability to perform job tasks.
- Suggest modifications to tasks that make things safer for the patient.
- Introduce healthy ergonomics to the workplace.
- Monitor the patient to determine when they are ready for full duty.
As you return to work, there are some things you can do to help keep yourself safe and healthy, including:
- Be honest about your strength and endurance. Don’t push yourself — going beyond your limits can make you susceptible to accidents, errors, and further injury.
- Listen to your health care professionals. Continue with exercises, therapy, and medication as instructed. (In other words, do your homework!)
- Don’t be too proud to use assistive devices if you need them.
- Help coordinate between your employer and your health care professionals so that everyone understands what you can and can’t do during your recovery.
After being off your feet or out of the office for a while, you may be very eager to get back into the swing of things. Patients can get a little stir crazy during long recovery from an injury or illness! But if you push yourself too hard, you may end up setting your progress back… WAY back. You’re not a bad person because you’ve been injured, or because you have some work limitations.