I Hurt My Back at Work Lifting—What Should I Do and What Can I Do?
With any work-related injury, it is important that you report your injury immediately to your employer and seek medical treatment. As I have discussed in prior articles, it is important that you take these initial steps to protect your interests. With a back injury, the severity of the injury can vary from a strain/sprain to a fracture or herniated disc.
Most people at some point in their life experience back pain. Many of us categorize it as “aches and pains.” However, sometimes these symptoms and problems go beyond those prior aches.
It is important to seek medical care and treatment if you have numbness or weakness in your legs, bowel or bladder control issues, fever or feel sick, or if your back pain does not improve.
The back is made up of vertebrae, discs, spinal cord nerves as well as muscles, tendons and ligaments. Back pain can come from a variety of different factors including damaged, bulging or torn discs, vertebra out of place or impingement on nerves.
The doctor can evaluate your condition and determine what needs to be done whether it be diagnostic tests such as MRIs, CT scans or x-rays. They can also determine how it should be treated with medication, injections, physical therapy, chiropractic treatment, acupuncture, massage or even potentially surgery.
It is important when discussing with your doctors to also evaluate if you are in need of work restrictions. It is imperative that if you are missing time from work because of your work-related injury that you have written restrictions from your doctor so that wage loss benefits can be obtained.
If you are not receiving the workers’ compensation benefits you should be entitled too, it is important that you speak with a workers’ compensation injury lawyer to go over your case. Contact the Law Office of Thomas Mottaz to discuss your workers’ compensation case.
