Although not typically a cause of major injury or disability, “pulled muscles” cause thousands of hours of lost productivity every year, not to mention the hardship on the injured person. And unlike some types of injuries, nearly every workplace has at least some risk of injury due to strains, even if your workers are sitting at a desk all day—in some cases, this might even increase risk for specific injuries.
So, preventing muscle sprains and strains should be a key priority for your team, but the application of injury prevention can be highly varied depending on your unique workflows and personnel. When internet research fails, our Work-Fit team has the solutions that work best for your use cases so you have a sustainable injury prevention plan to maximize the health and wellness of your workers.
What are sprains and strains?
Sprains and strains are distinct injuries that occur in the musculoskeletal system affecting the soft tissues of joints and muscles. Both of these soft tissue injuries can be healed with time and physical rehabilitation.
Muscle strains
Strains occur when muscles or tendons are overstretched. People commonly refer to muscle strains as “pulling” a muscle, although strain injuries can also apply to tendons. Some minor strains can even simply feel like soreness, prompting athletes or others who experience them to continue working through the pain, which can lead to worsened conditions that take longer to heal.
Joint sprains
Sprains occur within the ligaments that connect bones to other bones. They can occur at any joint, especially those prone to being hyperextended or overloaded, such as the shoulders and knees. Joint sprains can also be treated with the proper care to reduce inflammation and strengthening to improve stability.
Preventing overexertion injuries in physical labor
Depending on your workplace and business model, manual laborers are at the highest risk for injury of all kinds, including sprains and strains. In addition to OSHA’s regulations and recommendations for your workplace, you can benefit from a targeted assessment and on-site team to encourage practices that further reduce injury risk while promoting a culture of safety.
What works for your workers will be highly specific to their role and work environment. General tips we recommend if workplaces aren’t already doing them are:
- Minimizing the stress of repetitive tasks/movements
- Training workers for proper load-bearing techniques
- Enacting a dynamic warm-up and a cool-down stretching routine before or after heavy periods of exertion
- Utilizing proper footwear and personal supportive equipment
- Minimizing slip and trip hazards – both environmental and personal
Preventing strains at work in the office
Office workers may have fewer risks of injury due to exertion, but they may be at risk for sprains and strains that manual labor jobs would usually avoid. Common sprains and strains we see with office workers include:
- Wrist sprains
- Low back sprains
- Neck strains
In addition, office workers who don’t get up from the desk regularly to stretch and move around may experience stiffness and muscle atrophy that make other injuries more likely to occur.
Our recommendations for office staff to prevent injuries include performing a comprehensive ergonomic assessment, encouraging physical activity to promote strength, flexibility, and circulation, and training for stress and tension reduction.
Your partner in injury prevention
At Work-Fit, we know a one-size solution doesn’t fit anyone well, which is why we take such a personalized approach to serving our clients. Our team of industrial athletic trainers and exercise physiologists can come alongside your team to implement custom solutions that scale efficiently and promote a healthy work culture as well as quality productivity habits.
Learn more about how we can help your specific business model by starting a conversation with us online today.
