Causes of Back Injuries

Despite of all safety measures and precautions, every workplace carries risks of the accidents. There are the chances of slip, trip and fall from height, hazardous chemical exposure, electric shocks, industrial diseases and many other types of accidents in the workplace. Workers do suffer mild to serious injuries in the workplace including broken bones, fractures, sprains, amputations, soft tissue damage, head and brain injury, neck and back injury and even deaths. Back injuries are very common in workplace accidents. Even a minor back pain limits the worker’s ability to perform well. Workplace accidents are the leading cause of the back injuries.

Causes of Back Injuries

Different causes of back injuries include;

• Slips and Trips
Wet floors, oil spillages, trailing wires, distracting objects and uneven floors are the major cause of slips and trips at the workplace. Leading injury as a result of slip and trip is severe back pain and spinal cord damage.

• Fall from Height

Another serious cause of back injuries is falling from heights. Falling can damage the back severely and sometimes it leads to the permanent disability. Severe back injury does not let the person sit and walk properly. It can result in job loss of the worker.

• Lifting and Manual Handling

Improper lifting techniques and poor manual handling practices are the major cause of back injuries. Lifting heavy objects in awkward postures leads to the back injury. Continuous and repetitive movements in doing any task also result in back pains.

• Faulty Equipment 

Faulty chair or defective ladder or tables with the chances of collapse are another cause of back injuries. If the seat of any employee is not comfortable to sit then it can also invite back pains.

Symptoms of Back Injury 

A person suffering from back injury experiences different type of symptoms that may include;

• Serious neck and shoulder pain
• Swelling of neck and shoulder
• Weakness and lacking stability
• Muscles and body stiffness
• Severe lower back pain
• Headache and vision loss
• Sleeping problems and dizziness
• Concentration difficulties and memory loss

A victim of back injury can develop all the above described symptoms depending on the severity of injury. Treatment options for the back injuries are regular exercise, massage, physical therapy or medication.

Posted in Health Care