Work Hardening Helps You Return to Work
Some injured workers can return to work with minimal medical care, or their rehabilitation can be managed with physical or occupational therapy. However, some injured workers may not recover enough of their physical capabilities to return to work. Work hardening helps you return to work. Even if someone has recovered from their injuries, certain muscles may have become atrophic and deconditioned due to a lack of physical activity during their recovery. That’s when work hardening becomes very important. Work hardening is a comprehensive and systematic therapy plan created specifically for injured workers to return to their physical condition prior to the injury.
Work Hardening is a more intensive structured therapy program in which the physical activities of a specific job are simulated to prepare a worker to return to a predetermined occupation and aims to return not only the employee’s physical ability but also to bring the employee’s functional, behavioral, and vocational skills back to the skill level present before the injury.
The therapist administering the work-hardening program should is provided with a detailed job description to create a work-hardening program specific to the job requirements of the injured worker. There can be significant variations in the work-hardening treatment plans. Such as type and frequency of treatment, and variations in the amount of time needed to complete the program.
Each individual plan may incorporate one or more of the following:
- Simulation of specific work tasks
- Simulation of general work tasks
- Physical reconditioning
- Training on how to prevent future injury
- Training on how to perform the work tasks to minimize pain
- Training on how to modify work tasks
- Training on how to modify daily living activities
- Psychological intervention to demonstrate to the worker that they are capable of returning to work
Work Hardening might be the right program for you if:
- You are making steady progress in therapy but are not able to meet the physical demands of your job.
- You are making progress in therapy but need exercises and activities that closely simulate your real job duties.
- You are progressing in therapy but are unsure if it is safe to return to work.
Contact us today to learn more about Work Hardening and how NWRTW can help you get back to work and back to life.
To learn more about work hardening contact the Washington State Labor and Industries.