by PaulProspero
USIC has teamed up with our nation’s LEADING physical therapy company – Accelerated Rehab. This company spent several days in the field observing utility locators perform their jobs. They observed long and single address jobs. They measured and weighed our tools & equipment. They counted the number of times our employees lift and bend and reach each day.
They put real science into studying a day in the life of a utility locator.
They discovered that our employees are athletes – INDUSTRIAL ATHLETES!
Muscular Skeletal Injuries are strains to your muscles, ligaments and tendons. While most of us think that one event causes these injuries, they actually occur over time. If you have ever strained your back, you can most likely think of exactly what you were doing or lifting when this happened. However, the event when the injury occurred was in reality the proverbial “STRAW THAT BROKE THE CAMELS BACK”.
During the course of the day, a utility locator’s job requires them to bend, reach, lift, swing a receiver hundreds of times each and every day! The job requirements are physically demanding. Over time, the repetitive motions and jobsite hazards take a toll on our employees.
The cycle of a muscular skeletal injury is the following:
PEAK performance
FATIGUE
DISCOMFORT
PAIN
INJURY
In order to BREAK the cycle of an injury, the Reversal Of Posture Exercises or ROPEs were created.
Below are a few FAQ’s from our employees that help explain the ROPEs.
Why do the ROPEs work?
The ROPEs are a reverse of your normal bending and reaching that you do hundreds of times per day! These exercises give a good stretch and flex in the opposite direction!
I have never been hurt. Why do I need to do them?
First, you will feel better at the end of each day!
Secondly, the cumulative effect will significantly reduce the chances of a future injury.
How long do the ROPEs take to do?
The ROPEs are very simple stretches and flexes that take about 1 minute per round. Perform 2 rounds of ROPEs in the morning and 2 rounds in the afternoon after lunch.
How long does it take for the ROPEs to work?
You will begin to feel the tightness go away after the first time you perform these exercises. You will feel an immediate benefit. These exercises should be performed EVERY day. The real and sustained benefits come over a long time period. PLEASE keep doing them! These exercises will help keep you limber and harden your muscles and PREVENT future injuries.
What if I feel pain when I am doing the stretches and flexes?
Each person is different. If you feel any discomfort, simply do not stretch as far. Over time, you will loosen up.
LEARN THE ROPEs!
Each day those nagging pains from exertion will go away!
Each day you will feel better and better!
