Fall 2005

Volume 14    No. 2

 SAFETY FIRST
                       Tetanus Awareness...

Tetanus, or lockjaw as it is commonly called, is caused by a toxin produced by a bacteria found in the soil, dust and manure.  This bacterial disease affects the nervous system of an infected individual.  The tiniest pinprick or scratch to a deep puncture wound or cut made by nails or knives is vulnerable to infection.

Symptoms of tetanus include headache and muscular stiffness in the jaw.  The symptoms later develop into neck stiffness, difficulty in swallowing, spasms, sweating and fever.  If a person has come in contact with the bacteria, symptoms will develop about eight days after the initial infection; however, the time may range from three days to three weeks.

Eleven percent of the reported tetanus cases are fatal and more likely to result in death if a person in 60 years of age or older.  However, those that do recover from tetanus spend several weeks in intensive care.  Almost all of the reported cases of tetanus have occurred in people who were vaccinated, but had lapsed on the regular booster shot.

Farmers are at an increased risk of contracting tetanus through daily farm activities, but many may not realize that they are unprotected from infection due to a lapse in booster shots.

However, farmers can easily prevent an infection of this disease through safe and effective vaccinations.  If someone has never received the Tetanus vaccine, immunization begins with a 3-dose series over seven to twelve months.  After the initial vaccination, a person only needs a booster shot every ten years to ensure protection from the bacteria.  If a booster shot is five years or older at the time of an injury, another is usually administered.  If you or a family member have not received the vaccination or have lapsed on the booster shot, contact your doctor to schedule an appointment.
Submitted by: Cheryl Skjolaas, UW-Extension Outreach Safety Specialist

I grew up on a dairy farm in northern Wisconsin and worked along with my father on a third generation dairy farm until I was 18 years old and went off to college.   I went to Colorado for one year as a physical education major.    The following summer I had multiple surgeries, a staff infection, and a blood clot in my leg, which changed my focus in life and I decided to go to UW-LaCrosse to get a degree in physical therapy.  Since that time I have been able to use my problem solving skills that I was taught as a child from my dad to give patients different options when faced with situations and tasks that may be painful, difficult, or seemingly impossible.  Because of my experience on the dairy farm, I am even more aware of how activities need to be modified in order to successfully complete them as necessary. 

  Physical therapy can be very helpful for addressing needs that farmers and their families may have not only with life changing disabilities but also with everyday aches and pains that they commonly would not address with medical care.    Physical therapy can help farmers and their families with injuries and disabilities in the following ways:

• Perform evaluations of the neuromusculoskeletal problem

• Give strengthening exercises, stretches, and other activities they can do throughout their day to relieve their pain and address problem areas

• Educate the farmer and the family in controlling pain

• Discuss with the farmer and the family in depth what types of tasks need to be completed on the job that are difficult, painful, or impossible that can be modified and improved upon in regards to strength, technique, assistive devices, and other creative ways of performing the same tasks in a manageable level

• Evaluate his body mechanics, strength, flexibility, and balance for different job tasks (climbing up into a tractor, obtaining the unusual positions of lying under farm equipment and implements for repairs, balance for walking on uneven terrain, lifting, and maneuvering heavy objects)

• Teach certain exercises that will help strengthen specific muscles to accomplish tasks easier

• Initiate balance training necessary to address the farmer’s ability to detect and correct his balance when on uneven surfaces

• Teach farmers to relearn how to use the muscles correctly without compensations and to use proper body mechanics

  The main goal for a physical therapist is to be able to work with the farmer and the family to adequately return the patient to his highest level of function possible.   They may need help to problem solve through the obstructions they have in regards to how to complete tasks successfully without injuring themselves, causing pain, and being able to perform the tasks with the current restriction.   This may be in the form of formal physical therapy or it may be in modifications of technique in performing activities around the farm.  Either way, it is important for a farmer to remember that his body does his work for him and he needs to protect it as if it were an important implement so that he will continue to run in “top notch” performance at all times.  AgrAbility of Wisconsin with the Easter Seals FARM Program also works with physical therapists, the farmer, and the family to modify farm equipment as needed to allow farmers to farm when in some situations where this would not be possible.    It is necessary to seek medical help if there are any types of neuromusculoskeletal problems that may be preventing the farmer from performing his job tasks as necessary.  

Donna Nelson
Physical Therapist, Franciscan Skemp Healthcare