My previous articles in this series on how to prepare for the possibility of a work injury have focused on the types of individuals covered by workers’ compensation. This article will focus on how to prepare so you may avoid certain types of injuries.
What are repetitive stress injuries
Some workers’ compensation injuries are not caused by a specific one time event. Instead, some injuries are caused by cumulative trauma or what might be called repetitive stress or overuse. The most common and well known type of cumulative trauma injury is probably carpal tunnel syndrome; however, people can experience cumulative trauma work injuries to their backs, necks, shoulders, knees, elbows, and many other parts of their body.
Georgia workers’ compensation law does provide workers’ compensation benefits for injuries that happen as a result of repetitive work or cumulative trauma. However, the best thing to do is to avoid injury, if possible. It is important to state that I am not a doctor so please do not take what I say as medical advice. Your doctor or another medical professional is the best person to consult about how to avoid repetitive work injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome.
Helpful hints for avoiding repetitive stress injuries
That being said, there are a number of helpful hints that I expect will help minimize your risk of suffering a repetitive stress injury at work.
- Make sure that your work area is ergonomically designed
- Maintain good posture while working
- Take breaks to stretch and relax while at work
- Exercise regularly
- Consult a doctor if you start developing pain so you can prevent any work injury from getting worse
The Georgia workers’ compensation system attempts to help you recover from a work injury, but the best thing to do is to avoid the injury in the first place. While this is not always possible, hopefully preparing ahead of time will help minimize your risk of suffering an injury at work. If you do develop a repetitive stress or any other type of work injury, we will be happy to provide you with a free consultation. Simply call the phone number or complete the “Need Help” form and someone from our office will be glad to help you.
