Profiling a workplace physiotherapy and rehabilitation program within a police force

M Hua, Rob Marc Orr, Michael Stierli

Research output: Contribution to conferencePresentationResearch

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Abstract

Question: What are the typical presentations of police officers who attend
a newly established workplace rehabilitation service?
Design: A retrospective observational study.
Participants: Injured police officers (male n=30: mean age 43.3 ± 9.56
years: female n=12, mean age 38.2 ± 6.39 years) attending workplace
rehabilitation (August to December 2014).
Outcome Measures: Reported injury numbers and types, numbers of
treatments, attendance rates, and comparative costs.
Results: Of 340 booked treatment sessions, 296 (87%) of were attended.
Lumbar spine injury was the most commonly reported work-related
musculoskeletal disorder, accounting for 40.5% (n=17) of all injuries and
119 (40.2%) treatment sessions. Lumbar spine injuries occurred across
all ranks and years of service, and a higher proportion of affected officers
wore a hip holster than wore a thigh holster (44.4%, n=12 vs. 33.3%, n=5).
Female officers showed a higher average number of treatments attended
per injury than male officers (8.25 ± 5.12 vs. 6.57 ± 4.03).
Conclusion: A workplace rehabilitation service for injured police
officers presents as a viable service with lower back injuries the primary
presentation type.
Key Practice Points:
• Injuries to the lumbar spine were the most common presentation in a
police workplace rehabilitation service and were more often associated
with wearing a hip holster than wearing a thigh holster, though cohortlevel
research would be needed to examine the strength of any possible
causal link.
• Workplace rehabilitation services for injured police officers can limit lost
productivity and travel costs associated with travel to external services
during work time.
Original languageEnglish
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2015
EventCONNECT 2015 Physiotherapy Conference - Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, Gold Coast, Australia
Duration: 3 Oct 20156 Oct 2015
http://www.physiotherapy.asn.au/conference2015
https://issuu.com/graydesigngroup/docs/apa_symposium_2015_ebook_program_a4 (Conference Program)
https://issuu.com/graydesigngroup/docs/apa_2015_conference_abstracts_handb (Book of Abstracts)

Conference

ConferenceCONNECT 2015 Physiotherapy Conference
Abbreviated titleAPA 2015
Country/TerritoryAustralia
CityGold Coast
Period3/10/156/10/15
Internet address

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