Hand Doctors Tips for Returning To Work After a Hand Injury

Hand Doctors Tips for Returning To Work After A Hand Injury

Being able to successfully return to work is often the most important outcome for a person with a hand injury. The loss of the ability to work can have serious financial implications, as well as psychological effects. The inability to provide for your family can be extremely stressful.

Time off from work after hand injury can can range from a few days up to a year or more, depending upon the severity of the injury. In many cases injured workers are anxious to get back to work as quickly as possible. In other cases, employers and/or their Workers Compensation insurers try to rush an employee back to work, before they feel ready.

But in all cases, the best advice is to let your treating hand doctor or hand surgeon determine when you are ready to return to work. If your employer or the Workers Comp insurer is rushing you, ask your hand doctor to submit medical documentation of your injury and why you are unable to return to work.

Most Common Workplace Hand Injuries:

The most prevalent hand injury in the workplace is a crush injury. The aggravation of carpal tunnel syndrome is the next most-frequently-reported injury, with Extensor Tendon Injury following that. De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis is also represented, as are digital (finger) injuries and nerve repair.

Factors that influence successful return to work include:

  • Severity of the hand injury
  • Type of work the employee performs
  • Individual factors such as age, genetics and pain tolerance
  • Participation in occupational or Physical hand therapy
  • The workplace culture and employee support influences success
  • The availability and suitability of alternative light duties while healing

Returning to Work After a Workplace Hand Injury

Selecting an experienced and qualified hand doctor is very important. Only an experienced hand doctor or a certified hand therapist can evaluate whether a person is ready to return to work. The longer workers are away from the job, the more difficult it can be to return, but returning too soon can put the worker at risk for another injury.

If surgery is required to repair the hand, “arthroscopic” surgery can help reduce recovery time – and get you back to work sooner. Arthroscopic surgery is more minimally invasive than traditional “open” hand surgery – and involves smaller incisions.

Carefully following a personalized treatment plan put in place by your hand doctor, hand surgeon or hand therapists is also essential to returning to work as rapidly as possible after a hand injury.

Work conditioning programs, provided by our specially trained Occupational Therapists, can also help the injured person recover their strength, mobility, flexibility and range of motion. Before being released to return to work, the therapist will evaluate the patient’s physical as well as emotional state, and help them make the transition from “patient” to “worker”.

Top Troy Area Workplace Injury Hand Doctor

If you or someone you know is dealing with a hand injury, reach out to Dr. Rehman today. She will do a comprehensive evaluation, and her team of hand therapists will implement activities and therapies to help you return to work safely and in a timely fashion. Injuries that are left untreated can often become permanent disabilities, so do not assume a hand injury will eventually heal on its own.

Contact Dr. Rehman today to learn more about how she and her team can help you take back your life and your career!

Troy, MI Area Hand Doctor | Workplace Injuries: 248.335.2638

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