Common injuries for trades people
Here at Myothrive we see a lot of tradespeople or tradies from varying backgrounds, ages and physical work. People with high physically demanding jobs such as tradies and labourers have a higher rate of injuries related to or directly from the workplace. 56% of these injures relate to joint, ligament, tendon or the musculoskeletal system (Safe Work Australia, 2019-2020).
Work involving repetitive, awkward positions leads too many overuse or acute injuries often to back, neck and arms from overhead work.
So, what are some of the common injuries for trades people?
- Low back or neck pain due to stresses placed on the structures around the spine. This can be both acute and persistent in nature.
- Shoulder dislocations from trips and falls.
- Elbow, wrist and forearm issues from repetitive overuse.
- Knee injuries.
- Ankle sprains.
- Muscle strains.
What can you do to try and minimise your risk?
- Don’t ignore the small niggly injuries
Often injuries start off small, they then start to build with repetition of aggravating factors into larger ones, becoming worse. This has a large impact of your day-to-day life and the activities outside of work that make you happy! Listen to your body, pain isn’t part of work.
- Regular exercise
Try to keep up a regular strength and/or fitness routine. This can include gym, social sports like footy, yoga, or running. These help to keep your body strong and more robust, but consistency is key here. If in doubt, go to some classes. The goal here is to keep strong, flexible and stable.
- Optimise your work environment. Such as computer set up, use of knee pads to kneel on or any safety equipment you may need.
- Good technique when lifting objects at work.
- Have the right tools: safety boots, safety gear.
If you’re a trades person with any niggles that keep popping, come in for an assessment. Everyone’s different so we would work to tailor something just for you that fits in with your work and home life.
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