Google search “under appreciated professions” and you won’t be surprised to find “teacher” topping that list. Very few people can argue with that, but when you factor in the fact that educators in a high school environment suffer from a variety of chronic pains you’ll find a call to action (beyond better pay) is needed to better support these worthy professionals. That call to action, is physiotherapy. Here’s why.
5 Reasons Why Secondary School Teachers Need Regular Physiotherapy
1. Directly Address the Chronic Injuries Common to High School Teachers
Due to the nature of the job, teachers experience pain and discomfort from both standing and sitting for extended periods of time. They also find themselves hunched over a desk, laptop, or tablet into the wee hours of the night while planning sessions and grading papers/projects. Outsiders may not consider teaching to be a physically taxing job – but it absolutely is! Below we have listed the chronic pains and injuries common to the profession, along with links to the corresponding chiropractic (and other) treatments and therapies provided by our clinic:
2. Helps Get You Involved With Extracurricular School Sports and Athletics
Many secondary schools leverage the talents and physical fitness of some teachers to coach one or more sports teams. These teachers may earn a stipend for providing part-time coaching duties in addition to their regular salary. Others simply find it rewarding, forming a stronger bond with students that carries from the class to the court, track, or field. When you make physiotherapy a part of your health and wellness regime, you will be more physically fit, and far less likely to suffer from injuries and accompanying pain/discomfort. This allows you to throw your hat into the ring for coaching or other physical edition (PE) duties. At the very least it’s a great add-on for your resume should you be looking to grow your career.
3. May Help Combat Anxiety and Stress Common to High School Teachers
Numerous studies find that teachers are more likely to suffer job-related stress than other professionals. This is further compounded as the teacher supply is reduced (due to poor wages) which increases class size and the workload of respective educators. While mental and emotional health concerns should be addressed by dedicated professional, there is data to back physiotherapy as a supplementary form of anxiety and stress management.
4. Helps Identify Students That May Be Suffering from Ailments Too
A recent study found that there is a need for developing guidelines to help teachers identify and help students that may be experiencing chronic pain. The study stressed the importance of including information about adolescent chronic pain in teachers training. While physiotherapy-based education is beyond the scope of this article, teachers that receive regular physiotherapy become more knowledge on the subject and may also be better able to identify when their own students may be suffering from an underlying physical ailment, which may directly impact their (students’) ability to learn and perform in class. Far too often, students are deemed to lack concentration necessary to learn and participate in class discussions, but this may be steeped in the fact that they are living with pain, discomfort, or other physical condition. These conditions may include headaches or dizziness in addition to those adolescents suffer as they begin to participate in school sports, such as spondylolysis (leading to back pain) or sciatica. In addition, with teenagers using smartphones and tablets on a daily basis, often for hours on end, they are experiencing a new pain phenomena – text neck – in addition to hand and wrist pain.
By becoming more knowledgeable about your own physical functioning and wellness, you will be more in-tune with what your own students may be experiencing.
5. Helps You Enjoy YOU Time
Sure, teachers in the BC curriculum enjoy winter break, spring break, and over two-months of summer vacation BUT what good is it if you’re not able to participate in the activities you enjoy and need to wind down from the school season? When physiotherapy is an integral part of your overall health and wellness regime, you will be pain and injury free, and less likely to become injured when participating in these YOU time activities, whether they involve jogging on the seawall, snowboarding, golfing, tennis, or a summertime triathlon.
Greater Vancouver area high school teachers will be pleased to know that Absolute PhysioCare now offers direct billing physiotherapy, which is the helping hand you need until the government comes around and increases your pay scale. Take advantage by scheduling a consultation with our Burnaby clinic today. Call us at 604.558.2273 to book an appointment, or to discuss more about what we can do for you.