Going to the gym when signed off work?

[hunge]

DH thinks this is hugely unreasonable and is shocked I even suggested it … surely it isn’t?

Going swimming, using steam room or sauna is very different to what I count as ‘going to the gym’.
They are mostly supportive, relaxing & helpful activities for a bad back.
As long as you aren’t lifting weights or doing something strenuous that could extend your injury recovery time then that is fine.

Yabu

No one is “entitled” to 6 months on full pay. Your posts give the impression that you don’t want to go to work and now have an excuse to not go. My DH is a specialist in these issues and would never suggest someone needed 6 months off. And yes, I’ve suffered from serious back issues too so I do know what that’s like.

You’re definitely BU. Your colleagues are absorbing your absence and doing your work.

‘Well, I’ve had back issues for years and years and I think you’re being totally unreasonable!’

… I don’t want to be rude but maybe there’s a reason these PP have had their back issues for years and not recovered

Gentle supportive exercise is good for backs. It’s ridiculous to force yourself to sit at a desk and risk being injured for longer out of a sense of duty.

OP I think you went wrong by describing it as 'going to the gym'. That isn't the same thing as going for a swim and sauna, well to most gym goers anyway! That sounds like a sensible part of a rehabilitation programme. You poor thing you must be in absolute agony, I really hope you feel better soon

My dh suffers from a back back. Usually by the time he can make it to the gym, he's at the point where he can start work again, albeit at a standing desk.

You're allowed to exercise when you've been signed off! You don't have to stay in your bedroom!

Can't believe how rude some people are on here. OP is off with a bad back so swimming and gentle exercise will help symptoms as sitting is too painful. If you get full pay for 6 months that is an excellent benefit from your work that is there for these situations. Are you getting treatment? Can work pay for treatment to get you back to work asap?

If your first post had been clearer then the answers would have been more in your favour?
Going to the pool while signed off with a bad back is fine.

That’s an interesting take. A few years ago I was signed off with a slipped disc. Actively encouraged my my physio to swim and exercise as much as was comfortable. As I don’t have a pool in my garden the gym it was. My problems stemmed from being too static at a desk so work was part of the issue.

physical activity is a great way to recover from physical injury.

It's Sick Leave, Linnette, not House Arrest.

Wow would hate to work in your company. Sounds like you live in China! Even if she was off with another ailment she is entitled to fresh air and a walk.

I don’t think the issue is going to the gym it’s the decision that you’re “entitled” to take 6 months off. You cannot possibly know that it will take that long, it sounds as if you’ve made a decision to take 6 months come what May and that’s unfair on your colleagues.

may

So surely the gym is part of rehab/recovery!

If the concern is someone reporting it to work then simply get in first. Phone or email your team leader, HR, whoever you report into for sickness and explain that in order to help speed up your recovery you are looking to do some gentle exercises/treatments as recommended by your doctor, NHS online etc.

Yeah, if you were one of my employees I wouldn’t be impressed. I wouldn’t go. If you are able to move and go to the gym then I’d say you are able to compromise and find an alternative way to perform your work.

If you are going to do exercises recommended by a medical professional then it's probably fine. Not if you are just doing what you normally do and antagonise the injury and need longer off.

A bad back is often due to lack of core muscle and weights or Pilates would solve the problem

How is going to the gym for an hour or so the same as sitting at a desk for several hours at a time?

Are those of us who are signed off (I'm long term due to some physical health problems) meant to just stare at the same 4 walls all day or something?

As I said in one of my early posts, going to the gym is fine too, if you need to do rehab. Generally speaking I'd have thought that rehab would be fine at home, but on the other hand you might do rehab in a gym so a personal trainer can supervise.

I see people are still just posting ignorant comments without actually reading the thread and reading the very many comments about movement and rehab being crucial for back injuries Sitting at a desk is NOT good for back injuries and it goes without saying that you can't do your job with a back injury if it's a physical job.

@Linnette49
I couldn't find your post, only what was quoted.

Your company's policy towards sickness is terrible.

I've had 2 periods of 3 months off sick from work-one a few years back following a hysterectomy, and one last year following a broken shoulder. I was actively encouraged to get up and out asap, first just going to the corner shop, working up to a walk round the park, then maybe something more social but not overwhelming like cinema or a meal. On both occasions I had to work up to using public transport etc before I could return to work. Again on both occasions I had a phased return to work. Unless you've had eg a cold or a stomach bug you can't just wake up after a few days and say "I'm fine now, I can go back to work ".....you have to work up to it.

And yes I went to the gym for appropriate exercise, especially swimming and water aerobics as they were gentle/supporting ways to get exercise.

Ps meant to say your policy is only appropriate for short term and/or infectious periods of sickness.

If you spasm to the point of walking like a crab, how do you know it won't happen on the way to the gym or once there?

I was signed off from work for 4 months and my GP said that even though I wasn't going to work it didn't mean I couldn't go out and about, in fact she encouraged it.