Treating occupational strains with osteopathy

“Occupational injuries account for many millions of working days lost each year”.  No matter whether your work in a trade, in the office, or outside on the land or you need to be able to cope with the individual demands made on your body by the work you do.  Manual work inevitably carries the inherent risk of injury caused by heavy and often, repetitive awkward lifting, over-stretching and periods of prolonged bending, causing back and disc injuries, sciatica and muscle strains.

In the office where desk work is more common, there are the dangers of RSI (repetitive strain injury) type injuries; such as wrist pain, elbow problems and postural strains, whilst frequent telephone use affects the neck and shoulders causing headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc.

Those who drive for a living or do the long commute to Brisbane need to be aware of their driving position as it affects not only their back, neck and shoulders but also can affect hips, knees and feet. 

The human body was not designed to endure the pressure that modern day occupations place on us. This is why it is important to not only be ‘work fit' but to avoid injuries by seeking help from an Osteopath when your body is showing signs of struggling to keep up with the high demands placed on it.  This may be evident with experiencing a constant low level of fatigue, pain during or after work, inflammation of joints, headaches and/or restricted movement.   It is much more effective to receive treatment before an injury sets in and then to manage it to prevent future further issues arising. 

At myOsteo our osteopaths, in conjunction to manual treatment, we are more than happy to offer advice on the correct sitting/driving position for you, strengthening and stretching exercises to help you to maintain better posture.

For the Employee 
Going to an osteopath demonstrates to your boss that you are taking an active role in trying to improve your health and reduce your injury. The osteopath will help you look at the style of work you are undertaking and help you find ways of improving the situation and how to prevent a recurrence of your injuries. You will be treated and offered advice on posture and lifting.

For the Employer
Osteopathic treatment will usually help to resolve work-related injuries earlier so that your workforce is more efficient and productive and it will reduce time off through ill-health. Some companies already benefit from using an osteopath as part of their care program for employees thereby improving morale and increasing productivity.

Useful tips

  • Frequent short breaks away from the desk and computer will help avoid back, neck and eye strain. 

  • Make sure if you are driving that you make time to stop, get out and do some brisk exercise for a few minutes every so often on a long journey.

  • When lifting at work, judge whether you can do this safely or need help. Never be afraid to ask for assistance.


How often will I need treatment?
We are all unique, with different levels of fitness, medical histories, predisposition to health issues, activity levels, diets and occupations. Therefore frequency of Osteopathic treatment is also prescribed according to meet the individual patient.  For some acute conditions initially treatment may be needed weekly to get control of symptoms before pushing them further apart.  For many patients their body will let them know when they are due for a maintenance treatment and in many cases some people benefit from booking in monthly. In each case the Osteopath will reassess the situation according to how the patient presents.  We always take into consideration other issues that may influence our patient’s ability to heal or maintain good health, such as; compliance to prescribed exercises, personal and family strains, and or whether referral to other allied health practitioners is also needed. 

Overall, from clinical experience, people who are aware of their health and maintain their health are the ones who benefit the most from Osteopathic treatment and require the least frequent treatment. 

Some common occupational strains include:

  • Neck pain

  • Headaches

  • Upper back pain

  • Decreased movement and increased joint stiffness

  • Low back pain & radicular nerve pain