Many injuries can occur at work, but most people think about their back hurting because of work-related issues. While this is the most common type, another can cause just as many problems for workers. Shoulder injuries are the second most common musculoskeletal injury in the workforce. Around 18 to 26% of adults have pain in the shoulder.
One factor that makes shoulder injuries difficult is that pain here can sometimes signal problems in other areas of the body. It can be challenging to narrow down the cause of the pain, which can lead to a lot of testing and medical care. It might be easier for the doctor to narrow down the cause of the pain if there is a single-incident accident that occurred prior to the shoulder pain.
The shoulder consists of the bones, ligaments, muscles and tendons. Each of these can become damaged, which can make finding a treatment to help challenging. In many cases, resting the area can be beneficial, but this might mean that the person can’t return to work right away. Some medications like anti-inflammatories might help. Physical therapy is another one of the possibilities.
It is up to employers to take steps to keep the workplace safe. Offering ergonomic equipment and having a suitable safety plan in place can do this. When a worker does suffer an injury, they should be provided with the information they need regarding workers’ compensation, so they get the care they need. The process of determining the cause of the pain and the treatment plan that follows can be rather costly, but workers’ compensation can minimize the impact this has on the employee.