Workplace Injuries
What are work injuries?
Work injuries are injuries that happen to you during your working day. The injuries can happen at your workplace as well as off-site if you are fulfilling work responsibilities when you are injured. These are often musculoskeletal injuries causing neck, back, or joint pain.
Work injuries can be caused by excessive lifting, pushing, or pulling, where you strain your body. You could fall or trip over something, or an object might hit you. You could also suffer a crushing injury if something heavy falls on you or you get trapped.
Sometimes work injuries involve auto accidents. You could be in the vehicle or get hit by one. Many work injuries are less acute, developing over time due to overuse or repetitive strain.
Who is responsible if I have a workplace injury?
Your employer is responsible for making sure your working conditions are safe and meet current regulations. You’re responsible for following safety laws and workplace guidelines. In the first instance, you should record your workplace injury, following your employer’s procedure for these events.
If you feel you have a personal injury claim, you should talk to a lawyer or professional body. Whatever the cause of your workplace injury, you’re entitled to workers’ compensation. This is a state program paid for by your employer’s insurance fund and doesn’t relate to who was at fault.
To claim workers’ comp in California, you need to see a doctor who holds an authorization from the state’s Workers’ Compensation Board.
How are work injuries treated?
The treatment you get for your work injury depends on the kind of injury you’ve suffered. If you have a musculoskeletal injury, you could benefit from treatments like:
- Physical therapy
- Therapeutic ultrasound
- Manual massage therapy
- Electrical muscle stimulation
- Work hardening programs
If these approaches aren’t relieving your pain, Dr. Mallavaram provides a comprehensive range of injectable treatments for workplace injuries.
The injections for pain caused by work injuries usually contain a local anesthetic that relieves your pain straight away but is only short-acting. Many injectable treatments also contain a steroid medication to reduce inflammation. These types of injections include:
- Epidural
- Sacroiliac
- Lumbar transforaminal
- Cervical epidural
- Medial branch block
- Facet
- Occipital nerve block
- Joint
To promote the growth of new, healthy tissues, Dr. Mallavaram can also use therapies like platelet-rich plasma (PRP). These therapies help to boost your body’s natural ability to heal itself.
You might also need to have radiofrequency ablation therapy or a spinal cord stimulator trial if your pain still isn’t improving. Dr. Mallavaram can explain the details of these treatments and work with you to determine which one is right for you.
Find out more about how The Spine & Pain Center of California can help with your work injuries by calling one of their offices today or book an appointment online.
