Back injuries can be some of the most painful and debilitating types of workplace injuries people can sustain, as these impairments can end up impacting people’s abilities to move around or even sit for extended periods of time. Despite the fact that many back injuries arise from a single accident or traumatic incident, in some cases, these types of workplace injuries may also be caused by a continual, long-term stress on the body, which is more likely to occur with office workers who tend to be sedentary.
While back injuries can have devastating impacts on people’s wellbeing and overall quality of life, the good news is that:
- There are some things sedentary workers can do to minimize their risks of developing back injuries while working.
- If people do develop back injuries in the course of performing their jobs, they can rely on Denver Workers’ Compensation Attorney Steve Picardi to help them get the full amount of benefits to which they are entitled for their injuries.
Step 1 to Preventing Workplace Back Injuries: Identify the Risks
The first step to preventing workplace back injuries for sedentary workers is identifying the risk factors. Call us if you’ve sustained any workplace back injury.
Before you can do anything to prevent the development of workplace back injuries, you will first need to pinpoint what the specific risks are for you (and others in your workplace). Common risk factors that sedentary workers face when it comes to developing on-the-job back injuries include (but are not necessarily limited to):
- Prolonged static posture – Even the healthiest person can only remain sitting in the same position for about 20 minutes or so before maintaining that position starts to wear on his muscles and cause different types of stress or strain on his body. In fact, when trying to maintain the same seated (or even standing) position for more than 20 minutes, the tendons, ligaments and muscles in the back all start losing their elasticity, start becoming more stressed and, in turn, start causing a person an increasing sensation of discomfort.
- Fatigue – It’s not uncommon for office workers to suffer from fatigue because, for instance, they haven’t gotten enough sleep the night before (for whatever reason) and/or they are working longer hours in a given day or week. Regardless of the reason for the fatigue, the results are the same – namely, that fatigue increases the risks that people will forget about maintaining good posture when sitting and will, consequently, cause their bodies to take on more stress than necessary. Over time, this increased physical stress can result in back injuries.
- Lifting heavy loads – For some office workers, part of their job requirements may call for them to lift heavy or substantial loads (such as, for instance, if they receive deliveries at work or are responsible for stocking a supply room). When people who sit for most of the day at work get up to immediately lift a significant load, they will typically face an increased risk of a back injury.
Don’t miss the upcoming conclusion to this blog series for our in-depth discussion of specific ways to address and prevent back injuries for sedentary workers.
Denver Workers’ Compensation Attorneys at the Law Office of Steven J. Picardi
Have you suffered or sustained a workplace back injury? If so, contact the the Denver workers’ compensation attorneys at the Law Office of Steven J. Picardi. With more than 30 years of combined workers’ compensation experience, our trusted and experienced Denver workers’ compensation attorneys can effectively represent you in all phases of your workers’ compensation claim.
Contact Us
For experienced legal advocacy in defending or filing a workers’ compensation claim, contact the Picardi Law Firm for a consultation by calling (303) 778-8881 or by emailing us using the form at the top of the screen.
