One of the realities of working as an electrician is that eventually, you’re going to get hurt. Maybe it won’t be today or tomorrow, but construction is a dangerous sector and you’re a part of it. Some lucky guys may be able to take off as they need to, in order to deal with injuries, but many, many more can’t. For those fellas, learning to work while injured takes on a whole new level of importance.

Sucking it up and walking on sounds like a macho kind of way to live, but if you’re working while injured, you can do yourself a lot more damage by simply refusing to stop and rest. However, you can minimize the side effects and improve your recovery speed by taking some simple precautions.

Use Supportive Gear
Braces, splints, and air casts can be awkward to deal with, but they help to redirect the pressure on injured body parts to give them a better chance to heal faster. Instead of tying your boots extra tight and hoping it’s enough for your ankle sprain, consider a proper ankle brace. These are the kinds of tools that are made to help you keep working without making your situation worse - you should be embracing them as much as possible.

Remember to Stretch
It may sound silly, but there’s a good reason that pro athletes stretch before they go to work. Stretching gets the blood flowing and helps your muscles and tendons get ready for the real work ahead of them. It can help you prevent injuries, but it can also help manage pain and prevent injuries from getting worse. Stretch all you can, especially those injured bits, along with supporting them with the right kinds of equipment.

Ask for Help
Look, no one likes to look like they can’t do their job, but when you’re injured, you’re not going to be at your best. This is the time to ask for help with those jobs you usually do alone, even though they’re supposed to be two-man numbers. Borrow a helper for the day, ask a friend to tag along, snag someone else on the jobsite to ensure the worst part of the job isn’t the part you’re overexerting yourself to do alone.

Go for Lighter Duty
Most of the time, there’s more than one job that needs to get done or more than one element to the job you’re on. When you’re working a job like that with an injury, work the easiest parts first, then do the harder ones, as much as is practical. Going from the easier stuff to the harder stuff means you’ve got extra time to heal, all while continuing to stay on task, at work, and bringing in money.

Choose the Right Pain Meds
There are lots of meds on the market that you can easily get over the counter, but they’re not all the right meds for every injury. Talk to your doctor about which meds work best for what problems, but you can generally assume anti-inflammatories will help with things like muscle sprains and strains, since they help reduce swelling, and pain relievers will help with other kinds of injuries, like general aches and pains, with no specific cause.

What are your go-to tricks for working through the pain? Share them with us in the comments!