Firefighters Use On-The-Job Tools in Physical Therapy
Firefighters, law enforcement and military personnel experience on-the-job physical demands like no other industry. Of over one million [1] firefighters in the United States, each year approximately 5% or roughly 58,000 [2] experience injuries that occur in the line of duty. Zero injury is preferred! However, few high physical demand industries can report such a low percentage. This is likely correlated to firefighters’ personal commitment to on-going physical training. If injury does occur, it is essential to recovery to choose a rehabilitation professional that understands the physical demands, equipment and tools used by tactical athletes [3], like Team Rehabilitation PT in Brookfield, WI. Tools like the Leatherhead Tools Ultra-Force 8 lb. axe can be found in rehabilitation settings like the one shown here. Incorporating firefighter tools can help the therapist and firefighter alike distinguish incremental improvement as patients perform occupational-related repetitive movement during their therapy.
  1. https://www.firerescue1.com/fire-products/firefighter-accountability/articles/top-12-firefighter-facts-ZNtSlYDCA0tbwJ2P/
  2. https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Data-research-and-tools/Emergency-Responders/Firefighter-injuries-in-the-United-States
  3. https://spts.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/tactical-athlete-symposium.pdf?sfvrsn=2