If you’re working long hours at the office, you may start to see a decline in your health. Whether you’re staring at a screen all day, lifting heavy things, or on your feet for the whole shift, your body can slowly start to feel the impact of your workday. Sudden injury isn’t the only way you can get hurt at work. Sometimes it can happen gradually, over time.
Try out these three tips to help you avoid or ease pain, inflammation, and injury at work.
1. Screenings for High Blood Pressure, Arthritis, and Other Conditions
One of the most critical factors to help stave off workplace ailments is to catch problems early. It is essential to frequently screen for illness, injury, and conditions that could be caused or exacerbated by work. Conditions like arthritis and high blood pressure can mean you need to make some serious lifestyle changes to slow the progression. This could involve changing the way you work.
This is true with injury as well. Let’s say you hurt your ankle while carrying a heavy box at work. Without a screening, you may not know that you sprained the ankle. Continuing to work on the injury could cause permanent damage, even if you don’t feel it. Going to the doctor for early signs of issues can ensure that conditions are appropriately treated, so they heal fully.
2. Quality Gear for Workplace Injury Prevention
Some say the best treatment is prevention. In any field, with any job, there are workplace risks. An unbeatable method for avoiding these risks is to be aware of them and to buy the proper gear for preventing injury. Here are some of the most common workplace risks, and the equipment that can help prevent them:
● Eye damage: If you spend your day staring at screens, you know all about eye strain. The brightness can cause headaches and even permanent damage to your eyes. A great way to prevent strain is to adjust the brightness on your screen and to buy blue light filtering glasses. Another more straightforward fix is to see if any of your work can be converted to paper for less daily screen time.
● Foot Injuries: When you are lifting heavy things all day or working around lots of physical activity, the odds are high that you may sustain an injury to your feet, ankles, or toes. This is why many in related fields use steel toe work shoes for avoiding injury. These shoes mean that even if something drops on your foot, you won’t end up with broken bones.
● Weak Knees and Ankles: If you spend all day on your feet, you know that pain and inflammation are simply a part of your life. There are ways though to help ease and prevent that pain. Get ergonomic shoes with lots of support, or even fitted inserts. You can also use knee pads for when you have to get on the ground frequently.
3. Treat Mental Conditions to Ease Physical Symptoms
Many underestimate the toll that mental health can take on physical health. One major cause of workplace injury is stress. Stress can make it hard to focus, therefore making an accident or injury more likely. It can also take a physical toll on the body’s inner processes. Stress can lead to physical symptoms like:
- Grinding your teeth
- Tensing and straining
- Body aches and soreness
- Upset stomach
- Heart racing
- Sweating
- Not feeling pain, hunger, or other natural body signals
Easing stress can help to stave off many of these uncomfortable or even dangerous physical symptoms. There are many ways to treat mental conditions like stress and anxiety. A few of these treatments are:
- Prescribed medication
- Exercise
- Yoga and meditation
- Journaling or other healthy habits
- Therapy or counseling
- Personal development books
The National Health Service (NHS) recommends physical activity and a good support network of friends and loved ones. These crucial elements can help people decompress from stress and anxiety at work.
The Bottom Line
Where your work makes up a large percentage of your life. That means that if the way you work is risky and unsustainable, it could lead to serious injury, pain, and discomfort down the road. Use some of these tips to help you minimize risks and avoid workplace injury.
Just because you aren’t running marathons every day doesn’t mean your body isn’t sustaining wear and tear. You have the power to protect yourself against workplace injury with frequent screenings, the right gear, and awareness of your mental wellbeing.
