A large majority of your time is spent at work.
It just so happens that some workplaces are more dangerous or have the potential for increased risk of injury. Every year Tradies National Health Month in August recognises the fact that “tradies” like you often work hard and heavy most days but do very little for themselves in terms of maintaining their health or reducing their risk of potential injury.
The shoulder is particularly susceptible to workplace injury and quite often these injuries are significant and result in lasting disability.
Think about your situation for just a moment… Are You At Risk?
Don’t let a shoulder injury at work prevent you from enjoying the life you deserve outside of work. After all at the end of the day what is work supposed to be for?
Craig a 41 year old Brisbane scrap metal worker had worked hard all his life. He owned his own business and was happily married with two growing young boys. He’d grown up riding bikes and playing football. He apprenticed originally as a boilermaker but was now trying to set himself and his family up for an easier life through the success of his growing scrap metal business.
Craig’s a Tradie done good and a good bloke to boot.
Craig let me know during his consult with me that in his mid twenties he had injured his shoulder significantly in the workplace and had lived with the consequences of reduced function and some pain for years. But it wasn’t until a more recent injury on the same shoulder that he really knew he was in a bad way.
Examination revealed that he couldn’t lift his arm overhead and an MRI showed a massive 5cm (most likely irreparable) rotator cuff tear and osteoarthritis as a result of his workplace injury and ongoing wear and tear.
Not something that you would wish to be faced with at the tender age of 41 years.
Just think about the potential ramification’s.
After all, he’s a Tradie.
Always has been.
But now sadly, maybe not for much longer.
As we continued discussing the pros and cons of potential treatments, the full weight of Craig’s situation hit home and he was visibly upset. Hard to take seeing him like that…
To his credit though Craig decided to tackle his shoulder injury head on and organise another consult with his surgeon about the merits and potential outcomes of a rotator cuff repair.
To be honest, I think at best a partial repair will be all that is achieved but never put a Tradie down.
I am sure to see Craig again, most likely post shoulder surgery.
I wanted to give you an insight into the impact that a shoulder injury can have on one’s life. It can leave you incapacitated, vulnerable, depressed and out of control, embarrassing even for some people.
Whatever you do, don’t let the next story be about you. Take care out there Tradies.
And thanks for the work that you do.
