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3 reasons for back pain on the job

April 22, 2018

Back pain can become so bad that you feel like you can barely move. You certainly cannot work safely when experiencing extreme back pain. Back pain is also known for lingering and often lasting for years. After some back injuries, you could have pain for life. It's nothing to take lightly.

To help you avoid a serious back injury at work, consider these three main reasons for on-the-job back pain:

1.Inactivity: Some chronic back pain simply comes from sitting for too long, a common issue with office workers. It can be made worse if you're forced to sit in a chair that does not have proper support.

2.Repetition: Even relatively easy movements can lead to pain over time. For instance, perhaps you have to twist to pick up the next part on an assembly line. It's easy on your first day on the job. Ten years later, every twist is painful.

3.Improper lifting: Maybe your boss never gave you training to show you how to lift properly with your legs. Perhaps you were not given safety gear. Maybe you were told to move something you knew was too heavy, but you did it anyway because you did not want to get fired.

Workers often put themselves in a bad situation out of fear of losing their jobs. They try to ignore the lack of safety training. They try to deal with the improper seating and lack of support. They attempt to please the boss by lifting something that is clearly too heavy, without assistance or tools. Those decisions can end up costing workers for the rest of their lives.

Those who get hurt on the job could find themselves in the hospital or laid up for weeks recovering. They need to know all about their rights to workers' compensation.

Source: Mayo Clinic, "Back pain at work: Preventing pain and injury," accessed April 20, 2018