For those of you who know me, and for the benefit of those that don’t, we have just moved to a new house in Stoneleigh. Hooray! We exchanged in June 2020 and had our work cut out for us from the start. The previous owner had been in the property from 1968 and (by the looks of it) hadn’t done much maintenance work in that time. Whilst I wanted to some of the work myself, I know my limits and got the professional trades in! And I am glad to say that we are almost there with the house. Hooray again!

We see a lot of trades people at Bodyfix Clinic. Each trade comes with its own unique skill and technique. Trades use their bodies in various positions and the work can often be repetitive. So repetitive strain injuries are very common as well as ‘wear and tear’ on the joints (Osteoarthritis). Here are the 3 most common injury sites we treat at BodyFix.

Lower and Upper Backs in Trades

Back injuries take their toll on a lot of trades people. I have seen bricklayers and landscape gardeners with disc injuries. The disc is the spongey substance between with bones of the spine and this can push onto nerves when bending forward for a long time. This most often happens in the lower back. It can be very painful but is treatable with Osteopathy.

Upper back injuries are also common, particularly in scaffolders. Carrying heavy poles on the shoulder all day can affect the neck, ribs and thoracic spine. Also, in most cases, very treatable with Osteopathy.

Shoulders

A muscle called Supraspinatus can become affected in Trades that have to work above head height repetitively. Two examples are Plasterers and Decorators. The muscle can be ‘pinched’ as it get gets compressed between the upper arm and the shoulder blade. This can be treated at the clinic using ultrasound, mobilisation, taping, and dry needling.

Knees

The final area I will mention here is the knees. I am always telling Trades to wear protective knee pads because kneeling for long periods can be damaging. Carpet fitters spring to mind, as they spend the majority of their time on their hands and knees. This can irritate and inflame little structures around the knee leading to bursitis. Ultrasound therapy, dry needling and drainage with an Osteopath can all help.

Prevention is better than a cure

Our house has not been looked after before we arrived. If the previous owner had fixed the guttering years ago, we wouldn’t have damp in the walls now. And the principle is the same with our bodies. Prevention is better than a cure. Whilst we can treat injuries when they occur, it is easier to treat the body to help prevent injuries from occurring in the future.

So if you know a trades person with an injury or if they would prefer to prevent injury before it starts, please share this article with them.

For more information on how Osteopathy can keep you injury free, ask to speak to an Osteopath at Bodyfix Clinic on 0208-394-0393 or book online here.