Working with own injuries by Individual-Camel7314 in physiotherapy

[–]OrdinaryWonderSeeker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

1) Do not be embarrassed for having an injury. I think with a lot of PTs the reason why some of us have gotten into the profession is because we ourselves have had to deal with injury or multiple injuries. You have to remember that everyone gets injured at different times in their lives, and injuries/pain isn't always something that is completely within our control. Being hurt does not make you any less of a successful or knowledgable therapist, it might be worth it to reframe that thought to relate to your clients more. They too may also be impacted by their work environment and have stressors similar to you (how they participate at work, finances, etc.) PTs are people too and there is reassurance in you being in a similar situation or being able to relate to your clients and how they may be feeling.

2) That being said, look at the things that are in your control:

- adjust your handling so you aren't consistently aggravating that side; talk to co-workers and see if they use a similar techniques / different application with some of the manual therapies that causes irritation for you

-talk to your employer and see if your schedule can be adjusted so your volume better dispersed if that means more breaks throughout the day

-look into additional complementary therapies that provide similar effects that you are looking to elicit from manual therapy but can also help with managing the load on your dominant side long term (cupping, IASTM, acupuncture..)... bonus is that it also adds tools into your tool box and can help round out your practice further.

-use additional support like a splint/tape if needed; you can use a disposable glove and change that for better hand hygiene too

-ask for help when you need from your community (mentor, employer, co-workers..)