About 900,000 workplace injuries required workers to stay home in 2018. Workers could be out of work for a day, several days, or even weeks. Each individual’s recovery time depends on the severity of their injury, its location, and the worker’s health.
One way to speed the process up is to maintain fitness. You can do this by performing rehabilitation exercises. This will gently strengthen your muscles without risking you overworking them.
Try out these three exercises to help your injury heal.
- Bird Dogs
Back injury recovery is a long one, but you can help the process along by doing at-home exercises. To gain and maintain mobility, try doing a few bird dogs. This will strengthen the over 30 muscles in your abdomen.
To perform a bird dog, you’ll start on your hands and knees. Flex your core muscles and slowly bring one of your arms straight forward and the opposite leg straight backward. Hold this position for three to five seconds.
Bring both arm and leg back down to the starting position and extend the other arm and leg. You’ll repeat this move on each side six times.
Before you do any at-home exercise, be sure to consult with your doctor. They will guide you through exercises that are safe for your condition. It’s also smart to speak with an attorney about your rights after a work injury.
- Single Leg Bridge
Hamstring injuries can be incredibly painful, and if they aren’t rehabbed correctly, they can be permanently debilitating. Recovery exercises help your hamstrings to heal by gently using them without risking you straining them more.
To perform a single leg bridge, lie on your back on the ground. Your back should be flat, and your knees are bent. Engage your glute muscles and then raise one leg upward. With your legs raised, lift your raised heel higher as you raise your hips off the floor.
Keep your shoulders flat on the ground. Engage your core, glutes, and hamstrings. Do ten of these lifts for each side.
- Side-Lying Leg Lift With Crossover
After you rest and ice your groin injury, you’ll need to return to activity slowly. A side-lying leg lift with crossover is a smart exercise to start with. You’ll lie on your side that has the injury.
Bend the top leg and place your foot flat on the floor in front of your bottom leg. Be sure to keep your bottom leg straight. Now raise the bottom leg slowly as far up as it will go. Hold your lifted leg in the air for five seconds.
Lower your leg and repeat the leg lift 15 more times. Then switch the side you are laying on, position your top leg, and lift the bottom leg 15 times.
Try These Rehabilitation Exercises
Workplace injuries are frustrating because they can hold you back both professionally and personally. If you find yourself stuck at home waiting for an injury to heal, try one of these rehabilitation exercises. They will help your body recover faster while reducing the risk of long-term issues.
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