One of the most challenging injuries for workers to recover from is a back or spinal injury. This is due to the complex relationship between bone, fluid, tissue, and the nervous system which connects your brain to your muscles and serves as the communication system which keeps everything working together. A problem with one piece of this complex puzzle can have a ripple effect that can significantly impact your overall health and ability to carry out your job.
The spine or “spinal column,” which includes bones, muscles, tendons, discs, and other tissues, extends from the base of your skull to your tailbone. It contains and protects your spinal cord, which is made up of nerves and which is protected from shock by being surrounded by synovial fluid. Without a sound spinal column, a worker can experience back pain, pinched nerves, osteoarthritis, slipped disks, muscular spasticity, and muscular atrophy among others. With a severe injury to the spine, a worker can experience paralysis or even death.
So, if you experience a work-related injury that impacts your spine, what are the kinds of treatments you might expect to manage pain, regain strength, and ultimately return to work? Much of that depends on the type of injury you experience. At Midtown Occupational health, we help workers who have experienced chronic work-related back pain, acute back injuries, acute spinal injuries, and those who have experienced damage to their spinal cord. Let’s talk about some of the treatments you could receive as part of your treatment plan.
First steps
If you or a colleague experience a spinal injury in the workplace, there are two things to do immediately. If the injury is or seems to be life-threatening, call 911. Emergency workers trained to respond in crises will move you in a way to reduce the risk of further immediate damage. Also, advise your safety manager and human resource department of your work-related injury so that they can take action in getting you treatment. A spinal injury requires immediate attention in order to get the best possible prognosis.
Acute Stage
The first stage of care is always focused on the protection of your injury so that the body can begin healing. Braces, padding, and other medical equipment may be employed to protect your spine as it begins to heal. In addition, scans and tests will help to determine what type of injury has occurred. You may receive an X-ray, MRI, or other imaging to look for fractures, punctures, and swelling to determine what part of your back or spine was injured.
If your injury requires surgery, it may be conducted immediately if the type of injury will not heal without swift intervention. However, in some instances, your body will need time for immediate tissue damage to heal before proceeding with surgery or non-invasive treatment modalities.
Non-invasive treatments during an acute stage injury may include things like heat, ice, and ultrasound. Tissue-based massage and exercise are often postponed until further healing occurs.
Sub-Acute Stage
During the first six weeks after injury, the body begins to repair. As bones or tissue damage heal, swelling reduces. Your care team may, depending on the injury, introduce mild mobility exercises, light strength work, and some stretching to begin to mobilize the injured parts of your body.
The goal is to get tissues moving, but not to cause pain or push the limits of your body. You can begin to strengthen during this phase, but exercises must not re-injure the impacted area.
Treatments include physical therapy, occupational therapy, and psychological components of pain management such as breathing exercises, relaxation, and body awareness. Together, these set the stage for the next phase of recovery, remodeling.
Remodeling Stage
Some people just want to get past the pain of the injury and get back to their usual activities. However, without a comprehensive rehabilitative plan, this choice can lead to re-injury or chronic problems with your back or spine. Healing continues up to three months following an injury, but part of that includes scarring if soft tissues were torn. By building strength, your body encourages new tissue growth and mobility, which can positively impact your long-term prognosis.
Treatments can include physical therapy, occupational therapy, massage, dry needling, and chiropractic treatments. In fact, a team approach is important when it comes to recovery from a work-related back injury.
The goal during this phase is to reach or exceed pre-injury strength, flexibility, and work capacity.
Ongoing Remodeling, Repair, and Performance
Once the tissues have healed, there is still an opportunity to realign scar tissue and develop the strength and flexibility to support future work. The focus can turn toward greater strength, flexibility, cardiovascular and specific work-related performance.
Treatments can include deep tissue massage, trigger point therapy, physical therapy, and chiropractic care.
Why choose Midtown Occupational Health?
When you are injured at work there are some unique circumstances that are necessary to consider. First, employers must provide worker’s compensation insurance to cover employees should they become injured on the job. When you experience an acute or chronic condition due to work, you are entitled to treatment to get back to health.
You can choose your healthcare provider for treatment. Injured workers often go to the ER, then to separate providers for physical therapy, occupational therapy, massage, and chiropractic care, among others. Without alignment and communication among providers, this approach can result in spotty outcomes, and it can even result in conflict about what services should be covered by worker’s compensation.
By choosing Midtown Occupational Health, you know that your records are handled by the same team that coordinates your care across treatment modalities. Our team works collaboratively between you and your insurance to create an agreed-upon treatment protocol. In fact, we use standardized models of capacity measurement recognized by the international community in order to demonstrate your unique rate of recovery. Because of our coordinated efforts, we consistently see better outcomes for our clients than if they try to piece together individual providers.
If you have been injured at work and are looking for best-in-class care in the Denver area, call Midtown Occupational Health today.
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