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FORMULA 1 REHABILITATION

1.

Just as there's a spin off from Formula 1 motor racing to the design of regular motor vehicles, accordingly there is a spin off from the field of sports rehabilitation to the rehabilitation of regular folks people in the workforce.

 

  

2.

We need to make a distinction between injury and dysfunction.
   

3.

 

We need to determine the cause of the dysfunction before we can lay blame as to who or what caused it and what the best treatment will be. PS it's usually 'who' not 'what', and 'me' not 'other people'.
   

4.

It's a big ask expecting to get better by having someone do something to you - sooner or later you're going to have to do something to yourself.

 

WORK CONDITIONING PROGRAM

There is a good chance all this expense will be on the whim and fancy of a doctor who says the dysfunction was caused by work and an insurer who doesn't care less what it costs because it's not their money.

 

In fact they're acting more like a bank than an insurer; they don't take any risk and if they pay out more this year on your behalf they'll slug you more next year in premiums. The case for self insurance and management of the risk has never been more compelling. What you're paying for is a bloated bureaucracy to manage the claims you could better manage yourself, made up of people unqualified to in the area of health and fitness management.

 

They can't do a sit up or a pressup. They can't touch their toes. They're getting weaker and tighter by the minute. There is no therapy known to man that can make someone stronger or more flexible.

 

The treatment they have had or are having has not worked to restore normal function, principally because it:

 

▪

is not sufficiently regular or intensive to stimulate the body's own recuperative power and restore function to normal

 

 

▪

is reliant on other people prescribing something (usually an anti inflammatory tablet) or doing something (usually a hot blanket, crunch and a rub down) to the injured person, rather than the person doing something for themselves

 

 

▪

doesn't contain the postural aligning strength and flexibility exercises that people need to do themselves.

 

And while the treatment is going on the people are still becoming weaker and tighter.

 

We see large numbers of people who are at great risk of these dysfunctions but who are doing nothing to improve their musculo-skeletal condition.

 

We see large numbers of organisations who are doing nothing to manage the risk. They have high levels of absenteeism, presenteeism and workers compensation for which they are paying a high premium - an average of $3,000 per staff member for absenteeism and more than $2000 per staff member for workers compensation premiums. And then they turn around and say there's no money to do anything about it!

 

Most organisations don't do much about the risk because they don't measure it, instead, leaving it to ambulances at the bottom of the cliff - another initial needs assessment for $1000, another chair, $600, $5,000 worth of therapy and 10 days off! The high cost can be sheeted home to inadequate knowledge and management of the risk.

 

For an organisation with 1000 people that's $3m for absenteeism and $2m for workers compensation.

 

THE SOLUTION

We encourage organisations to adopt our Formula 1 Rehabilitation program.

 

We encourage organisations to employ occupational health and fitness (OH&F) staff - people with a fitness qualification.

 

We train and accredit OH&F staff to

 

■

manage the organisation's rehab program themselves in association with outside providers

 

 

■

conduct risk assessments

 

 

■

manage the risk

 

 

■

run strength and flexibility programs in-house

 

Just as there is a spin off in technology from Formula 1 motor racing to improving consumer motor vehicles, so the rehabilitation of musculo-skeletal injuries benefits from the spin off in technology from sports medicine, particularly in dramatically reducing the time for injuries to heal.

 

For individuals the principles are:

 

■

Bones do what muscles tell them to do. Therefore, muscles doing their job properly will lead to better skeletal alignment.

 

 

■

The cause of the pain is rarely at the site of the pain - trauma excepted. This means you will have to work on more than one part of your body if you want to get better quickly.

 

 

■

Use a wide range of modalities including a number that you have to do yourself. In particular this means:

    • postural alignment

    • stretching and strengthening

    • general exercise

    • hydro-therapy

    • meditation

    • personal development

    • career development.

 

 

■

Make the treatment regular, systematic and intensive. (Many of the people we see for musculo-skeletal rehabilitation have done less in a year than an elite athlete would do in a week.) Formula 1 Rehabilitation is a daily process.
   

■

Look for the underlying cause of the dysfunction. It is unlikely that work is to blame. It is usually poor posture, lack of strength and lack of flexibility, the things you are responsible for! (The chair and the keyboard will be vindicated!)

 

Keeping fit is an investment. Fit and healthy people make a regular investment in their own time, effort and money to keep fit and healthy. To get better quickly you'll have to do the same. We believe the full time job of a person on workers' compensation is a Formula 1 Rehabilitation work conditioning program.

 

You can do more to keep your body in good shape than any therapist.

The success of the program is based on the premise that it is a big ask expecting your body to get better by having someone do something to you. Sooner or later you have to do something to yourself.

 

Participants attend on a daily basis for a four hour period, during which time their body begins to respond to the various modalities and starts to get better.