What Are Overexertion Injuries in the Workplace?

There are many common injuries that occur every year in the workplace. According to the National Safety Council, physical overexertion is the leading cause of injuries in the workplace. And, when it comes down to it, overexertion causes the country about $15.1 billion in workers’ compensation costs due to so many American workers missing work for these injuries. But what are overexertion injuries?

Overexertion occurs when a load exceeds what a person is able to handle. This means that you could be pushing, pulling, or lifting an object that is much too large for you. This could cause you to receive stretches, sprains, strains, or tears to a variety of body parts, from your ligaments and tendons to your muscles and more. You could experience unsettling pain in your neck, shoulders, knees, and wrists from these injuries. Sometimes, you will sustain one of these injuries the moment you lift something too heavy, while others are from repetitive motion and occur over time.

Compensating for Your Injuries

Because these injuries happen in the workplace, you will be subject to receive workers’ compensation benefits if you experience one of these injuries and miss time at work. There are many aspects that workers’ comp can cover, such as lost income when you are unable to return to work for many days or weeks, medical treatment if your injury is particularly serious and much more. Many people who experience overexertion injuries find that basic medical treatment is not enough, and will have to go for more extensive rehabilitation or therapeutical services, surgery, or a variety of other medical procedures when their injury is not minor.

You should always watch out for the signs and symptoms of overexertion in the workplace because your injury can be worsened and require extensive treatment if you do not catch it early on. Some of the common symptoms include the following:

• Losing your breath or being unable to speak due to breathing too hard
• Feeling dehydrated, which could cause dizziness, scant urine, fatigue, and more
• Fatigue as well as chronic injuries like joint aches, stress fractures, or tendinitis

Avoiding Overexertion

Now that you understand that you will be able to recover for your injuries, it is important to understand how these injuries can be prevented in the workplace. Here are the most common ways to protect yourself from injury:

• If you need help performing certain labor because you know that you are going to overexert yourself, ask for help and wait for it to arrive.
• If you can’t move something with ease, you should always use equipment like a cart or hand truck.
• Bend your knees rather than your back to prevent temporary or permanent back injury.
• Take breaks so that your muscles can rest. You should also make sure that you are staying hydrated throughout the day, especially on a tough job.

We understand the devastating costs that work injuries can cause in your life and want to help you in your time of need if you have injured yourself due to overexertion. At the Nye Law Group, we care about your case and want to help you every step of the way. Call us today at 855-636-9277.

Sources:

https://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/overexertion-injury-lawyers.html

http://work.chron.com/avoid-overexertion-workplace-2333.html

https://thenyelawgroup.com