Teaching Injured Workers How to Work (and Live) Again

When a worker is injured on the job, most employers think first of medical treatment and physical therapy. These are vital steps, but there’s another equally important piece of the recovery puzzle that often gets overlooked: occupational therapy (OT).

While physical therapy focuses on restoring movement, strength, and mobility, occupational therapy is about something bigger: teaching injured employees how to function again—at work and at home. It bridges the gap between healing from an injury and regaining the ability to live and work independently, even after life-altering injuries.

What Occupational Therapy Really Does

At its core, occupational therapy is about helping employees adapt, relearn, and rebuild their ability to carry out both job-related tasks and activities of daily living (ADLs). This includes everything from using adaptive equipment to retraining on specific job functions.

Some of the key goals of OT include:

• Facilitating mobilization and restoring function in an injured body part.

• Compensating for permanent impairments.

• Relearning basic skills like eating, bathing, dressing, and grooming.

• Teaching adaptive techniques for independence at home and work.

• Preparing an employee to return to work—whether in the same role, a modified one, or a new career altogether.

In workers’ compensation, the focus is often on getting employees “back to work.” But for someone with a serious or permanent injury, the ability to get back to life is just as important. OT is designed to do both.

Real-World Example: Adapting to Life with a Prosthetic

Imagine an employee who loses an arm in a workplace accident. After the initial medical treatment and physical therapy, the real challenge begins: how can this worker function in daily life and return to meaningful employment?

This is where an occupational therapist steps in. They teach the employee how to use a prosthetic arm to complete basic ADLs, like eating and dressing, and then tailor training to the worker’s job. If the role involves computer work, for example, the therapist can develop strategies for typing or using adaptive equipment.

The result is not just medical recovery but true rehabilitation—restoring both independence and employability.

Work Hardening: A Key OT Strategy for Return to Work

One of the most powerful tools occupational therapists use is work hardening. This structured program gradually reconditions employees to handle the physical and mental demands of the workplace.

Work hardening often begins with just a few hours of simulated or modified job tasks per day, then increases over time until the employee can tolerate a full work schedule. This step-by-step approach builds endurance, reduces the risk of re-injury, and gives workers the confidence to return safely.

At the end of a work hardening program, therapists often perform a Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE)—a series of tests to determine what tasks the employee can safely perform. This evaluation not only guides return-to-work decisions but can also be used to establish permanent impairment ratings in certain states.

When to Use Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy is appropriate in many different situations, but it is especially valuable when:

1. An injury affects ADLs. For example, hand injuries that impact eating, dressing, or grooming.

2. The employee can regain enough function to return to work. OT helps rebuild the capacity needed for safe job performance.

3. The injury is life-altering. For catastrophic injuries—such as spinal cord damage, traumatic brain injuries, or amputations—OT provides the adaptive strategies and tools needed for long-term independence.

By tailoring treatment to the specific needs of the worker, OT ensures that recovery is not just about healing, but about function and quality of life.

Why Employers Should Pay Attention to OT

From an employer’s perspective, occupational therapy delivers three critical benefits:

• Faster Return to Work: By addressing both functional and job-specific needs, OT gets employees back on the job sooner and safer.

• Lower Claim Costs: The longer a worker stays out, the higher the costs. OT reduces long-term disability by helping employees adapt and remain employable.

• Improved Employee Morale: Demonstrating that the company supports not just medical care but also rehabilitation builds trust, loyalty, and goodwill.

Ignoring OT is a costly mistake. By integrating it into a workers’ comp program, employers can shorten recovery times, prevent litigation, and ultimately reduce claim expenses.

The Bigger Picture: Restoring Dignity

At the end of the day, occupational therapy is about more than job tasks and claims management—it’s about dignity. For an injured worker, losing the ability to perform simple daily functions can feel devastating. OT restores independence and gives employees the tools to rebuild their lives, even when a full medical recovery isn’t possible.

For employers committed to building a best-in-class workers’ compensation program, investing in occupational therapy is not just the right business decision—it’s the right human decision.

Michael Stack, CEO of Amaxx LLC, is an expert in workers’ compensation cost containment systems and provides education, training, and consulting to help employers reduce their workers’ compensation costs by 20% to 50%. He is co-author of the #1 selling comprehensive training guide “Your Ultimate Guide to Mastering Workers’ Comp Costs: Reduce Costs 20% to 50%.” Stack is the creator of Injury Management Results (IMR) software and founder of Amaxx Workers’ Comp Training Center. WC Mastery Training teaching injury management best practices such as return to work, communication, claims best practices, medical management, and working with vendors. IMR software simplifies the implementation of these best practices for employers and ties results to a Critical Metrics Dashboard.

Contact: mstack@reduceyourworkerscomp.com.

Workers’ Comp Roundup Blog: http://blog.reduceyourworkerscomp.com/

Injury Management Results (IMR) Software: https://imrsoftware.com/

 

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