Chiropractic

Macho Man? Tradies Need To Look After Themselves Too

Being a tradesman is one of the most physically demanding occupations therefore it’s no surprise to see many individuals suffer chronic back pain, neck problems and muscle tightness. While our body is designed to be mobile, it wasn’t meant to continually perform heavy lifting, climb ladders, manually handle tools and contort into small spaces to get the job done!

Unfortunately it is a common macho man belief to “see if it fixes itself” or to “see if it goes away by itself.” This mentality can lead to many chronic musculoskeletal problems as they’re not appropriately addressed in the early stages of injury. Chiropractors regularly see tradespeople and other individuals suffering complaints such as chronic back pain. Chiropractic management can play an integral role to improving the health of your musculoskeletal system as well as keeping you on the job longer through education, spinal care and exercise prescription. At Vitality Chiropractic Australia it is our aim to assist you in your recovery as quickly as possible as well as preventing further injury.

Who Suffers The Highest Injury Rates?

It’s no wonder that tradespeople experience the highest number of injuries and musculoskeletal problems such as chronic back pain. Recent estimates suggest that nearly one out of every four tradies suffer back pain, sciatica, neck pain and other complaints during work.

What Is The Cause Of These Problems?

In majority of chronic back pain injuries they’re the result of previous issues. While this is not always the case other potential causes may include:

  • Spinal degeneration and Arthritis
  • Muscular strain
  • Nerve damage
  • Joint sprain
  • Sciatica
  • Disc pathology
  • Postural problems
  • Muscle imbalance

How Can Chiropractors Assist With Chronic Back Pain?

Appropriately managing back pain is critically important given its influence on an individuals productivity and quality of life.

  • Chiropractic care may include spinal manipulative therapy, joint mobilisation, stretching, massage, exercise prescription and other methods to reduce your discomfort and prevent reinjury
  • Medications such as pain killers, NSAID’s, opioids and muscle relaxants are regularly prescribed to target chronic back pain. While Chiropractors cannot prescribe such medications, these options are available to you explore with your general practitioner or family physician
  • Massage assisting with reducing muscle and soft tissue tension, overall pain and disability
  • Exercise is a great way to maintain appropriate bodily movement, flexibility and strength. Before commencing an exercise program it is important to discuss specific exercises with a trained professional
  • Ergonomic advice that you can implement around the job site
james