special subjects
Work Related Back Injuries
Introduction
Work-related back injury (and pain that results) is a common cause of missed work days and loss of productivity in workers. Work-related back injuries are usually due to falls while standing, falls from heights, or direct blunt trauma to the back and are related to certain tasks. To diagnose work-related back injuries, doctors ask detailed questions about the person's past and current jobs and do a thorough physical examination and sometimes imaging tests. Employers can take measures to help prevent these injuries. Employers can change the way work is done, reduce the length of shifts, limit the amount of overtime, and/or schedule more breaks. Whether personal protective equipment (PPE), such as braces, wrist splints, and back belts, can help is unclear. Work-related back injuries range from Overview of Sprains and Other Soft-Tissue Injuries to Work-related back injuries are usually due to falls while standing, falls from heights, or direct blunt trauma to the back and are related to certain tasks. These tasks include Operating motor vehicles Heavy lifting Repetitive lifting (heavy and light items) Tasks that require reaching up with one or both arms (overhead work, such as drilling or finishing drywall) Tasks that vibrate the whole body (such as driving a construction vehicle over rough terrain) Other issues may contribute to work-related back pain. People may feel dissatisfied with their job or think their workload is too heavy. Their work may be tedious or monotonous or have demanding deadlines. They may feel that they have no input to decision-making. Smoking and obesity may contribute to back pain whether it is work-related or not.. If people have had work-related back injury and pain, future back injury is more likely. Employers may be concerned about malingering (conscious exaggeration of symptoms to obtain a benefit) in workers who claim compensation for work-related back injury and back pain. 