Working (and dancing) again after injuries
When injured employees come to MeritCare Occupational Health Center, they expect results ... and get them. Meet Carmen Uline. After re-injuring her right shoulder while working in the laundry at North Dakota State University, she went to see Al Myers, physical therapist at the Occupational Health Center.
"I told Al I had three weeks before my wedding dance and he'd better fix me," says Uline, laughing. After three weeks of physical therapy, she was not only ready for the wedding dance, but was back to full capacity in the laundry. And, because she was able to do less strenuous laundry duties during her three weeks of therapy, she didn't have to miss a single day of work.
Uline is one of hundreds of injured employees from Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo who have rehabilitated at MeritCare Occupational Health Center. Physical therapy is one of many services provided at the two-year-old center, conveniently located in Fargo's Industrial Park.
"Industrial athlete approach"
Just as athletes recover more quickly when rehabilitation is aggressive, so do injured employees. That's the thinking behind the Occupational Health Center's "industrial athlete approach." Physical therapy begins as soon as possible after the injured employee gets the go-ahead from a member of the Occupational Health Center's medical staff, then takes place as often as necessary, even as many as five times a week.
"We have fun but we're
also very serious about
what we're doing. It's an
atmosphere that adds to
the rehabilitation process."
-Al Meyers,physical therapist
"Traditionally, we'd see injured employees on a less frequent basis, but this more aggressive approach has helped people progress more quickly, plus it's cut down on the total number of weeks needed for treatment," says Myers. "We've seen excellent results."
Progress gets another boost from the at-home exercise programs given to nearly every injured employee who comes to the Occupational Health Center. "That's really important not just for the physical benefits, but for psychological reasons, too," says Myers. "An at-home exercise program encourages people to take control of their own health. And when they work at helping themselves, they get better sooner ... and stay healthy longer."
One of the at-home exercises Uline found particularly helpful involved a twisted towel. "Al showed me a simple exercise I could do anytime I felt my shoulder and neck tighten," she says. "The exercise released tension, relieved pain and helped me sleep better at night. I was impressed."
Making it work
To be successful, the industrial athlete approach takes the right staff, the right facility and the right atmosphere.
- The three physical therapists and athletic trainer at the Occupational Health Center each have their own areas of expertise and work well together, playing off one another's strengths. "It's a real team effort," says Myers.
- Physical-therapy facilities include four treatment rooms and a spacious gymnasium with a wide array of equipment such as the "Rehabili-station" a one-of-a-kind machine that enables the therapist to duplicate the injured employee's work demands such as lifting and twisting. Not only does it help the therapist know when the employee can go back to work at full capacity, but it helps determine what kind of work would be suitable in the meantime.
- "Everyone is comfortable with everyone else," says Myers. "We have fun, but we're also very serious about what we're doing. It's an atmosphere that adds to the rehabilitation process."
And the wedding dance? "It was a great time," says Uline.
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