What is Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy?

Investigating physical therapy options for employees

Physiotherapy is the process of helping to restore movement and function when someone is affected by injury, illness or disability. In many cases, these can happen whilst in the workplace.  

Musculoskeletal Therapy (MSK Therapy) is somewhat similar to Physiotherapy in that it uses movement and function. Still, Musculoskeletal therapy adopts a more hands-on approach to assist a range of muscle and joint injuries. MSK treatment can involve a combination of manipulation techniques, low-level laser therapy and functional rehabilitation to relieve pain and increase mobility, getting your employees back to work quickly and safely. 

According to the HSE's Summary of Statistics for Great Britain, 1.7 million workers suffered from work-related ill-health (new or longstanding) in 2020/21. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders accounted for almost 30% and a third of those were reported as new MSK cases in the 2020/21 period. 

The industries with the higher than average rates of work related ill health or injury were Human Health & Social Work, Public Administration, Education and Construction. Manual handling, awkward or tiring positions and keyboard work, or repetitive action are all culprits - not to mention the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. All were found to contribute to work-related musculoskeletal disorders.

How can Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy help your business?

Being one of the largest and most established physiotherapy networks in the UK, coupled with a service that is entirely designed to support your business as well as the employees, at UKIM we can provide your employees with treatment at over 800 treatment venues spread across the UK. On average, they will travel no more than four miles to attend one of our appointments. 

What our Physiotherapy and MSK services can do: 

• Improve flexibility, muscle strength and the quality of movement
• Ascertain the severity of an injury with our pain assessment tool
• Achieve exercise goals 
• Improve overall fitness
• Prevent future injury recurrences
• Develop a bespoke exercise programme 
• Return to fitness planning
• Injury prevention advice 
• Look for muscle wasting and fasciculation. Test global limb strength (tip-toes, squats, raising from the chair, pushing up from the chair with arms etc.)
• Prescribe exercises at home
• Work in the gym to enhance recovery

How can Musculoskeletal injuries be prevented, and what are the causes? 

Prevention rather than cure is key here. As an employer, protecting the wellbeing, health & safety of your employees is paramount. With several risks associated across many sectors, some (not all) musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are being caused or made worse by work. MSDs include injuries and conditions that can affect the back, joints and limbs. 

Causes of MSK Disorders: 

• Heavy lifting
• Incorrect posture whilst bending, crouching or stooping 
• Pushing, pulling or dragging heavy loads
• Reaching & twisting 
• Repetitive work
• Excessive force 
• Performing a task for a long period of time
• Driving heavy vehicles or long-distance driving 
• Poor temperature and lighting
• Stress from work pressures and demands of a job 

We can offer: 

Assessment - Initial assessment, diagnosis and evidence-based management of all musculoskeletal conditions

Training & Advice - We'll guide and advise you to ensure your employees are health & safety trained in order for them to perform their job functions safely

Correct PPE - Reducing risk by ensuring the correct PPE is provided to reduce the risk of injury

Suitable work techniques - Are staff using equipment correctly? 

Tools & resources - Are your tools fit for purpose? 

Above is just a snapshot of some of our Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy services. We can provide a plethora of strategies that will manage an employee's injury or condition. All of this is delivered through our consultative approach - an approach that is entirely designed to deliver a service that will continually support your business, ensuring your employees are fit, happy and productive. 

Get in touch to see if we can deliver a service that matches your commercial business needs and helps you discharge your statutory and legal obligations. 

Call our team of specialists on 0191 512 8220 or click here to contact our Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy services team.