May is National Physiotherapy Month and WorkSafeNB would like to acknowledge its physiotherapists at the Workers’ Rehabilitation Centre (WRC) for their excellent work in helping our injured workers in their recovery and return to productive lives, and for promoting health and wellness.
The WRC physiotherapists were recently recognized by the New Brunswick Physiotherapy Association with the Public Relations Initiative Prize for promoting the physiotherapy profession and advancing the benefits of an active lifestyle within the community. They were awarded the prize for both their work with area schools and their work with New Brunswick’s injured workers.
Supporting Health Canada’s recommendation that children need 90 minutes of daily physical activity to stay healthy, the WRC physiotherapists visited the River Valley Middle School for an afternoon of fun and frolic with 120 Grade 6 students. The physios educated the students on proper stretching techniques, the importance of daily activity and the need to prevent obesity. A series of relay races including skipping, potato sack races, and running with a soccer ball between their legs showed kids that exercise is not only good for you, it’s fun. The children were provided with a healthy snack and information from the ParticipACTION program that they were encouraged to share with their families to promote activity and healthy living at home.
“The WRC physios work to promote our profession in our community so the public can better understand our scope of practice and wide base of knowledge. The community has continued to support us through their attendance and participation in our annual physio month activities. The positive feedback encourages us to continue to educate the kids, as we see the impact that it can have,” said Judy Farquharson, a WorkSafeNB physiotherapist.
The physiotherapists also provide weekly education sessions to New Brunswick’s injured workers on the Benefits of Exercise, Understanding Pain, Relaxation and Stress Management, Understanding Safe Work Practices, the Anatomy of Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTD), and Posture (for clients with CTD). These education sessions provide an open forum for injured workers to ask questions and to help them understand the important role that physiotherapists have in helping people recover from their injuries and return to productive lives.