Jobs That Take a Surprising Physical Toll on Your Body

While there are jobs you would expect to be physically demanding such as law enforcement, construction, and landscaping, there are others that can take a physical toll on your body that may surprise you.

Individuals who don’t do a lot of heavy lifting for work can still be at risk for back pain or a work injury. And, though most of us are aware that sitting at a desk with lousy posture can mess up a lot in our bodies, there are other careers that have been proven to be tough as well including:

• Professional Musicians – Musicians tend to work in a competitive and stressful environment, where proper posture is overlooked while playing their instruments and carrying their heavy equipment to each show. Common health conditions musicians face include hearing loss, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, and bursitis.
• Healthcare Workers – Many times healthcare workers like nurses can begin to have health issues from regularly helping transport patients, assisting them with getting in and out of chairs, and catching them when they fall (especially rehabilitation workers).
• Dental Workers – Dental professionals have to work at all kinds of weird angles to take care of your teeth. This often leads to pain in the neck, lower back, shoulders, and hands.
• Massage Therapists – While massage therapists help you get the pain out of your body, they also cause pain to their own. Work-related physical challenges are common in their hands, shoulders, wrists, necks, arms, elbows, and backs. Plus, they are on their feet most of the day. Massage therapists should adjust their tables to the proper height to limit wrist strain and help them keep a straight
• Hairdressers – Many hairdressers have suffered regular or severe musculoskeletal Some common health hazards include standing for long hours, repetitive strain injuries, and being burned or cut from various hot and sharp objects used at the salon daily.

Musculoskeletal Injury Signs

These subtle forms of hard work may be putting your health at risk, so it’s important to be aware of any of the following symptoms.

• Painful joints
• Pain, tingling, or numbness in your hands or feet
• Shooting or stabbing pains throughout your arms or legs
• Swelling or inflammation
• Burning sensations
• Pain in your wrists, shoulders, forearms, or knees
• Pain in your neck or back
• Stiffness or soreness

Working jobs that require standing for long periods of time, performing repetitive manual tasks, and carrying out strenuous patient care in various healthcare facilities, can all affect your health.

While the above health hazards are possible, they shouldn’t deter you from obtaining a skill-based career. No matter what kind of daily job tasks you perform, you simply need to be aware of the precautions you can take to keep yourself as healthy as possible.

Train for a Vocational Career

Jobs like these are in high-demand. If you’re looking for hands-on training to expand your knowledge and experience in a particular craft, trade, or job role, The Jobs Partnership can help.

We can connect you with our educational partners including the Center for Accelerated Training at Valencia and Orange Technical College, who can provide you with the training you need to get in a vocational career.

Our no-cost LifeWorks course gives you access to new career opportunities and specialized career training to help you discover the path to the job you were made for. If you’re ready to make a change for your future, contact us today by calling 407-641-0755 or apply here online.