Chances are, you probably know an electrician. One of your family members might be an electrician, or even one of your closest friends. You might actually be an electrician yourself! If you’re unsure whether you are an electrician or not, you should talk to your friends or family to see if you are exhibiting any of the obvious signs.
One such sign is a dodgy neck, shoulder or arm. The constant craning of the Sparky’s neck to get to those hard-to-reach places, in addition to awkward reaching, twisting, grasping and screw-driver-ing, amongst other work-related activities can cause all sorts of havoc to the delicate balance of muscle and nerve tension in the neck, shoulder and arm. This can present in a variety of ways, including pain, tightness, tingling, burning sensations and weakness of the arm or hand.
It can be tempting to work through these kinds of symptoms, and with many electricians being self-employed, taking the time to seek treatment can sometimes cost money in the short-term. What is often not considered is the loss of income if the problem worsens and longer periods of time need to be taken off work in the future.
There’s plenty that can be done to treat these issues, and your friendly, local LifeForce physiotherapist can help you out by providing some hands on treatment, therapeutic exercise and advice on positioning and postures at work. We can’t unfortunately do cheaper for cash, or offer our services in exchange for a carton of your favourite beer.
(I wouldn’t recommend this, actually. A sparky friend of mine did some cash work for me and dropped his phone – which he was using as a torch – down the wall cavity, and we had to cut a hole in my wall to get it out! True story – the hole is still there – does anyone know a plasterer?!)
Call 8289 2800 to make a physiotherapy appointment at LifeForce health solutions at Golden Grove, to see what one of our experienced and friendly physiotherapists can do to help with your work-related condition. Alternatively, send us a message or comment on Facebook or via our website, and we’ll be in touch!
REFERENCES
Nee, R. and Butler, D. (2006). Management of peripheral neuropathic pain: Integrating neurobiology, neurodynamics, and clinical evidence. Physical Therapy in Sport, 7(1), pp.36-49.
Vicenzino, B., Collins, D. and Wright, A. (1996). The initial effects of a cervical spine manipulative physiotherapy treatment on the pain and dysfunction of lateral epicondylalgia. Pain, 68(1), pp.69-74.
