Those who work in physically demanding jobs will often start to feel that physical demand through aches and pains.

Dr. Trevor Clark and Dr. Jane Peterson from Connect Chiropractic have seen many individuals, working as plumbers, electricians, framers, and more, who endure lingering physical discomfort because of their jobs.

Typically, lower back and neck pain are the first indicators of damage from a more physically-focused job, said Peterson. “Unfortunately when that has been going on for quite some time it can progress and be quite a bit worse than just that.”

“Many times what happens is there are stresses on the body because it is a physically demanding job, and those stresses are very repetitive on a daily basis,” explained Clark. The problems can also “start out very gradual” with a couple aches and pains, but may escalate if left untreated.

Five dangerous words Clark said he hears often from patients are “maybe it will go away.”

But injuries left untreated can often become much worse than the occasional ache or pain.

A common result can show in the form of pain radiation into an arm or leg, Peterson explained. Sleep can become difficult due to pain, worsened by increasing fatigue making working conditions harder for those suffering.

“Sick and tired of being sick and tired,” is a phrase often heard by both Peterson and Clark.

A quick-fix that patients will often try to include medications for pain.

“Although medications will help short term… it’s just masking the symptoms and the symptoms actually get worse over time,” Clark said. As well, reduced attentiveness from certain medications can significantly hinder focus and attention by workers on-the-job, which can make for dangerous situations, especially in trades.

Keeping an eye out for warning signs, such as chronic stiffness when waking up in the morning and tension headaches, is one way to know that your body may be absorbing more impact than it should.

Clark and Peterson use information on patient lifestyle to examine potential causes of damage and in order to properly understand how to move forward for each patient.

 

“The goal is to get the joints back into alignment and moving again,” Clark shared.

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