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?

I have a disability, still going to try and keep fit.

My uncle has just had to stop work due to a degenerative spinal condition. No amount of adjustments his work made would've made him able to do his job really.

People can do all sorts of things, it doesn't mean they're able to work. And yes, exercise can help strengthen the back, depending on the cause of the person's back pain.

Im certainly not going to be running marathons on the treadmill but would like to use the pool.

@hunge Go for it (assuming it's ok with your doctor of course.) Well done for looking after your health. x

I actually have had a bad back, so i do sympathise, but I didn't stop work.

@CoastalWave Not all back pain is equal, and everyone's experience of pain is different.

I was signed off after being hit by a car. Went through physio and then given a programme to continue my physio myself. That programme involved walking in the swimming pool, progressing to swimming and also a series of excersices using gym equipment to rebuild my muscles and get my mobility back.

Can you seriously not see why the gym is beneficial for people signed off work due to physical injury? That injury needs to heal and then the person needs to rebuild their strength and movement. Or should they just be crippled?

Sorry, I think if you’re off with a bad back, going to the gym is a total piss take.

I agree with @WilsonMilson .

As PP's said, the thing with back pain is it's often a vicious cycle. If the person doesn't do anything, it gets worse and becomes more chronic (depending on the cause of the back pain.)

@hunge Your posts are a bit confusing. If you're signed off for mental health reasons then of course the gym can help with those, too.

Your doctor has signed you off - they consider you not well enough to be at work. What you do when you are off work is entirely up to you (assuming you've been honest with your doctor).

I honestly wonder about the sort of places people work where they think they are in a better position to judge an employees fitness to work than a doctor.

Luckily where I work we respect and trust each other.

I’m not sure where my posts have been confusing. I’m not signed off with MH issues and I haven’t said I am.

It is interesting as there’s absolutely no way I can work just now. I can’t sit for any length of time and length of time is even five minutes.

Going to the gym isn’t weights and cardio, the pool, Pilates, sauna and steam room are all helpful for slipped discs.

How bad is your back? Are you able to walk, lift, drive? When I was last off with mine I couldn’t do any of those things let alone a gym. I think if you’re feeling well enough to do those then you can work but of course, that depends on the job.

Here's the thing. I agree with you. BUT honestly, your back is NOT that bad is you're able to walk. Walk to the door. Walk to your car. DRIVE to the gym. And so on.

Ask yourself - if you were self employed and NOT GETTING PAID, would you still be merrily not working and going to the gym for a swim??

As an employer, I would think the OP is totally taking the piss.

Of course, if the OP is not being paid right now, take as much time as you need to get back healthy. Otherwise, do those things to help in your own time!

How would they even know what you do when you are off?

I think what you do matters too? Could you go to work but have adapted tasks etc?

My mum always said if you're well enough to go out, you're well enough to go to school 🤷‍♀️ if I'd had a rare day off, I wasn't allowed out.

Like so many threads here, the only answer is depends!

It depends on the nature of your back injury
It depends where you are in your recovery
It depends on what your job is and whether reasonable adjustments can be made
It depends on whether you're willing to have colleagues gossiping or speculating if you're spotted
It depends whether you've been advised to swim by physio

Tbh, I can’t walk properly after sitting. I look like a crab.

I don’t think I agree with your mum @CourtneeLuv but in any event I think there is a relevant difference here between being in too much pain to work and being too unwell to work. I mean yes, you can be ill and in pain but it’s also possible to be in a great deal of pain but not actually unwell. Backs are weird things: anyone who has had a slipped disc will know!

Definitely not unreasonable for MH and lots of physical injuries. Just because you can drive yourself to a pool for a swim or gentle exercise doesn't mean that you can sit at a desk for 8 hours or stand in a shop or do a differently physical job. MY DH has an upper arm injury and as he is required to lift people on stretchers or push wheelchairs, he cannot safely do this (for his own and their safety). It doesn't stop him exercising his legs or doing day to day stuff so he could go to the gym for a run or sauna etc and he's perfectly capable or filling a dishwasher. He's offered to go to work and do other duties but they don't want him.

CourtneeLuv children tend to be off with coughs, colds and fever though, not a bad back. So I can understand not letting children out when off from school

I slipped 2 discs at once a few years ago. Was signed off for a few months as this then caused a series of other calamities. After the first month or so I was able (with some assistance) to go and join some yoga classes and probably went once a week - dh had to drive me with the seat reclined quite far back so I was nearly horizontal 😂
anyway; I didn’t give a crap, I couldn’t sit down comfortably and couldn’t be at work, and even now use a standing desk pretty much all day.
do what you need to recover but gentle movement was the absolute best thing for me. Lots of walking and stretching and working on my core strength to protect my back.
do what you need to do to get better 💐

I think the confusion is the 'gym' means the room with the weights, cross trainers, treadmills etc. That's what I thought you meant in your first post until I continued reading and saw that you meant the pool.

My local leisure centre has a pool downstairs and gym (weights etc.) upstairs. Depending on which one I was going to I would refer to it by it's proper name ('pool' or 'gym'). Because you've included 'pool' in your definition of 'gym' I think people have got confused and think you're doing weights.

Better you go to the gym to improve your condition than sit down all day and get worse. That will only delay starting back I'd be worried about being seen though

So, can you explain to me how you would perform your physio exercises required to strengthen your muscles are serious injury and immobility? If you're not allowed to go to the gym and pool?

You think it's a piss take, so fine, how would you rebuild your muscles are a serious injury in order to regain as much mobility as possible?

There are stages of recovery. When first doing those exercises, the pain can still be too great to return to work and after the execeeices, your body sort of collapses and needs to recuperate. After a length of physio and gum/pool exercises, you have some strength back and dont get as much pain and can then return to work whilst continuing the exercises. But you want to cut out that first part? No exercises for physical recovery if you're not at work?

@CoastalWave I could walk, and drive but I was 3 weeks post massive spinal surgery. And not allowed to sit for more than 30 mins
I was nearly paralysed, I wasn't skiving, I was gaining back movement

HR here! You can go to the gym, shopping etc. while off sick as long as it is compatible with the reason you are off.

I often encourage people to get out of the house as being stuck indoors can be bad for mental health!

I would always recommend that employees get advice from a medical professional before going to the gym if they have physical injuries to make sure that they don't aggrevate their injury.

Get to the gym but be careful you don't make yourself worse!

You can do anything you want when signed off sick. If you know you were truthful about the reason for the sickness and you have the doctor's note, then that is that. However, other people might not see it that way. My boyfriend was once off sick for a legitimate physical illness that was intermittent and distressing. Sometimes he went to the pub, because you know, you have to live sometimes even if you are ill! It didn't mean he was lying about any of his illness. But he was seen at the pub and gossiped about as if he were a liar by people who didn't know what they were talking about.

Totally depends what you’re off with. The key question is whether the activity is inconsistent with the illness / injury.

Depression and anxiety - it’s probably going to help.

Signed off with broken leg and doing long distance treadmill work - no.

Can you request a standing desk at work? If you can travel to the gym and work out, it sounds like time for a phased return with adjustments.