Work-Related Injury

What are workplace injuries?

Workplace injuries are injuries that occur while a person is engaged in their work activities. When you hear the word injury, you may think of a specific event. While this is true, other types of injury can occur. Overuse or repetitive motion injuries are widespread in the workplace and often lead to painful and chronic conditions affecting your back, hips, knees, neck, shoulders, and other body parts.

What causes workplace injuries?

If your job requires you to perform a repetitive task for long periods, you may be at a higher risk for developing an overuse workplace injury. These jobs can include:

• Factory worker
• Any job that requires a lot of typing
• Drivers
• Lab workers
• Dancers
• Construction worker

Many more occupations pose a high risk of developing a workplace injury over time.

What chronic conditions can be caused by workplace conditions?

While it may be easier to see the connection between lasting damage due to an injury that occurred at a specific point in time versus lasting damage that occurs over years of repetitive motion, both count as workplace injury if they happened in the workplace. These injuries can lead to painful and chronic conditions such as:

• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Arthritis
• Lower back pain
• Knee pain
• Muscle strains

Early medical care is critical to ensure the best treatment outcomes.

How can workplace injuries be prevented?

While there are treatments available for many common workplace injuries, it is often better to avoid these injuries in the first place. This can be done by adjusting workplace conditions to put less strain on the worker's body. These include:

• Designing more ergonomic workstations
• Changing the pace of the work
• Employee education on proper technique
• Modifying tasks

Treatments of workplace injuries focus on the underlying causes and reducing or eliminating any chronic pain that you may be experiencing.

If you or a loved one suffer from a workplace injury, help is available. Call or go online today to schedule your appointment with Dr. Shah and the team at the SamWell Institute for Pain Management to learn how you can get the relief that you need and protect yourself from future injury.