An onsite physical therapist benefits the company and the people

At my onsite physical therapist client, the safety manager there has told me that if I prevent one injury claim, I will save the company more money than they pay for me to be there.

Earlier this year, I was offered a consulting position as an onsite physical therapist. It was to work at a forward-looking light manufacturing firm here in the Triad.

With me as onsite physical therapist, employees would receive early intervention if they developed a painful condition, and education regarding prevention of injury. The reason an employer would invest in having a physical therapist onsite is because workplace injuries can be very expensive.

At first, I wasn’t sure if this was the right position for me. I am an introvert. The idea of walking around the plant and introducing myself to people to ask if they had aches or discomforts seemed outside of my comfort zone.

I agreed to try it, knowing that if it wasn’t a good fit for me, I could resign from that position. I was hoping I would be OK with working there. I didn’t expect to find myself really, really enjoying it!

I think I’ll always remember this interaction; it was my first time visiting the plant. After meeting with my contractor and the plant managers, as a group we walked around the plant and were introduced to some of the employees. One commented, “Oh, we’re getting free physical therapy!” I looked at him and said, “No. This is an earned benefit. The company is investing in your wellbeing.”

I go to this plant for three hours, every other week. Some days I will get a message from HR telling me of people that want me to come work with them. I find those folks first. I’ll talk with them to get an idea of what they are experiencing. I will assess how well they are moving, and which movements are painful. I then test them out on exercise(s) to see which one(s) help.

I’ll also show them different ways of doing their work, with the goal being finding a way they can work more comfortably. It can be a minor change in the workspace, such as moving where work-in-progress items are stored for easier lifting.

Sometimes I’ll ask the safety manager to order ergonomic aids, such as arm supports that can take stress off a worker’s neck and shoulders.

After working with the new (to me) people, I’ll go visit the people I had worked with previously to check on their progress. We often find their condition has resolved and they no longer need my assistance. I can usually tell who those people are. When I saw them a couple of weeks ago, I saw facial expressions and impaired movements that showed their pain. Now, I see bright, smiling faces and watch, with a smile on my face, how they are able to move with great ease! This is, hands down, my favorite part of being a physical therapist.

Then, I go around and introduce myself to employees, tell them about why I am there, and ask if there’s anything I can help them with.

An onsite physical therapist can head off bigger problems

Sometimes I’ll get a response like, “Well, I have neck and back pain, but it’s not because of this job, I had a previous injury.” I’ll tell them that I am here to help them, regardless of whether it was a work-related issue.

I recently worked with a gentleman who was having back pain that he related to the machine he was operating. His job involved feeding a fine wire into the machine from a seated position. At first glance, it seemed simple enough. He was sitting in a slouched position. I thought all I would need to do was to show him to sit with a more upright posture.

With this machine, he had to be at eye level to properly place the wire, and sitting up straight made his work below eye level. I thought for a moment and then had him to sit with one knee dropped off the side of the chair, almost into a half kneeling position. This allowed him to both sit more comfortably and do his work.

The plant shares the building with the company’s office, so I also get to work with these people who may have aches and discomforts due to poor office ergonomics.

Common ergonomic suggestions include computer screen placement (having eye level to be at the top third of the monitor is best). I favor a trackball instead of a mouse. Are sitting in a chair that’s got some good lumbar support to it? Do their elbows rest easily at their sides, as opposed to having to reach out to get to the keyboard? Seemingly simple changes can be very helpful to make a workstation more comfortable.

Beyond the cost savings of a possible claim, there are benefits of my work that don’t readily show up in an accounting ledger.  Having employees who are smiling rather than wincing, who are laughing rather than groaning, has inherent value.

Many of the people I work with have conditions I would label as “subclinical.” It’s a nagging ache or discomfort that won’t drive them to a physical therapist at that time. (There is an investment of time and money that goes along with seeking healthcare.) Resolving these issues at the subclinical level keeps them from becoming more painful (and more expensive.)

I’m enjoying being an onsite physical therapist

I still do get a nervous feeling every other Tuesday morning when I know I’ll be going to the plant that afternoon.

Now, I can reflect on weeks past, knowing that there’s no need to be anxious as by the time I’m ready to walk out the door of the plant I’ll feel good about having helped the people there.

I read an interview with a favorite rock star of mine. He’s had a wildly successful career over the past 3 decades. He’s won multiple Grammy awards, and regularly fills baseball stadiums with his fans. He also gets nervous before going on stage, too.