This month we are focusing on Tradies and their health. Australian tradies experience some of the highest rates of injury and time off work with 3 in 5 serious workplace injuries involving a tradie. The Australian Physiotherapy Association is encouraging all tradies, their employers and families to think about their health and take a few simple steps to prioritise their wellbeing at work

Back pain is the most common injury experienced by tradies, with other common injuries being shoulder issues related to repetitive reaching and holding actions, knee injuries related to repetitive bending and ankle sprains from working on uneven ground.

Any job involving manual and repetitive tasks may result in aches and pains.

Seeing a physiotherapist early before the issue progresses to something more serious is an important take-home message. Physiotherapists can tell you how to stop the issue from getting worse and provide treatment and exercises to help with a speedy recovery.