Treatment Regimens Designed Specifically to Help You Return to Work
If you suffer an injury, you may be surprised to discover that, after healing, you’ve lost some stamina or strength, making it hard to do your job. It’s a relatively common occurrence. When you’re recuperating from an injury, the prescribed medicine may be rest. Unfortunately, when you don’t use your muscles and other body parts, they tend to lose some of their fitness. That’s where a work-conditioning or work-hardening program can help.
Though many of the attributes of work-hardening and work-conditioning programs are similar, there are some basic differences. A work-hardening regimen typically pays a bit more attention to behaviors, education and safety, whereas a work-conditioning program focuses on restoring the physical capabilities required to do your job.
Both approaches use some of the same physical therapies:
- Weight training, including circuit training
- Cardiovascular workouts
- Home exercise training
- Nutritional counseling
A work-conditioning regimen includes goal training, vocational therapy, occupational therapy, and spinal and safety instructions for functions that you’ll engage in on a daily basis. A work-hardening treatment plan uses vocational counseling and personal training, but may also include group therapy, cognitive training and job simulation.
The work-conditioning program is typically an intensive program, engaged in four to eight hours a day, five days a week. Most patients in the work-conditioning program need two to four weeks of therapy to be ready to return to work. The work-hardening approach can involve a similar commitment, but also can be integrated into a modified- or limited-duty lifestyle. Workers may participate in work hardening two to four hours each day, three to five times per week.
Contact Us to Set Up an Appointment
Let us help you take steps to return to peak performance at work! Call Advantage Healthcare Systems toll-free at 1-877-487-8289 to schedule an assessment. We offer locations across Texas, including Fort Worth, Dallas and San Antonio.