Preventing Work-Related Back Injuries

Back injuries are the most common work-related injuries we see in our Minnesota workers’ compensation law practice. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, back injuries account for 1 in 5 workplace injuries/illnesses. Back injuries are painful and debilitating. After you’ve sustained a back injury, you’re more likely to suffer a re-occurrence or re-injury of your back in the future. 

Risk factors for back injuries include:

• Improper lifting or lifting objects that are too heavy. 
• Repetitive motions that lead to muscle fatigue and injury or gradual wear and tear. 
• Poor posture while sitting, standing, or performing job activities. 
• Stress, which can lead to muscle tension and back pain. 
• Age-related wear and tear. 
• Excess weight, which puts extra strain on the back. 
• Presence of other diseases, such as arthritis or degenerative disc disease. 
• Cigarette smoking which increases the risk of low back pain and slows healing of injuries.

Preventing work-related back injuries involves taking simple precautions. For example:

1. Learning and using safe lifting techniques.
2. Using mechanical lifting aids when possible. 
3. Improving posture while sitting, standing, or performing work activities. 
4. Using ergonomically-appropriate chairs, equipment, and materials to avoid awkward postures and reaching. 
5. Changing positions frequently. 
6. Taking mini-breaks, especially while performing repetitive tasks. 
7. Minimizing bending and reaching. 
8. Managing and reducing stress. 
9. Maintaining a healthy weight. 
10. Improving overall wellness by eating well, sleeping enough, and getting regular exercise.
11. Adopting an exercise routine focusing on strengthening the back and abdominal muscles. 

If you hurt your back at work in Minnesota, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits, including wage loss benefits, medical expense benefits, permanent partial disability benefits, and/or rehabilitation benefits. Don’t let an on-the-job back injury ruin your health or your career. For a free, no-obligation Minnesota workers’ compensation case consultation, contact Meuser & Associate at 877-746-5680 or click here to send us an email. 

Home Health Care Workers and Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Benefits

Our office has represented several home health care workers for a variety of injuries, including, most recently, a low back injury resulting in surgery, a broken ear drum resulting from an assault, a broken leg resulting from a fall down some stairs, Hepatitis C due to exposure from a client, and a torn rotator cuff from lifting a client.

One thing that we see far too often in handing Minnesota workers compensation cases for injured home health care workers and personal care attendants, is poor handling of the situation on behalf of the employer. In fact, upon receipt of our letter of representation, one employer called and left me a message on my voicemail advising me that she was firing the worker for talking to a lawyer. Bad move on her part, and she left the proverbial “smoking gun” evidence on my voicemail. Not all home health care employers behave this way, but for some reason, it seems to be more prevalent in this field.

I can’t stress enough how many of these workers fall through the cracks of the workers’ compensation system. Too many employers of personal care attendants and home health care workers do not report their injuries, and take inappropriate retaliatory actions against them when they do report them. I would recommend to any Minnesota home health care worker who is injured at work to speak with a Minnesota workers’ compensation lawyer to ensure that their rights are protected.

According to the CDC, in 2007, there were 896,800 home health care workers. Amazingly, among those healthcare workers, there were 27,400 injuries reported. It’s anyone’s guess as to how many injuries were not reported. Some of the injuries resulted from unintentional needlesticks, latex allergies, and violence. The most common injuries, however, were sprains, strains, and other musculoskeletal injuries related to lifting and moving patients. The rate of patient lifting injuries in 2007 among healthcare workers was 20.5 per 10,000.

Unfortunately, persons with mobility problems are often not furnished with lifting equipment or adjustable beds. Moreover, nurses, aides, hospice care workers, and other in-home care providers typically work in the client’s home alone. Moving patients by themselves, in cramped quarters, and without lifting equipment is an injury waiting to happen. In fact, research indicates that assistive devices should be used to lift more than 35 pounds of a patient’s weight.

Some examples of ergonomic assistive devices to reduce the incidence of overexertion and musculoskeletal injuries among home healthcare providers include hoists, rolling toileting and showering chairs, grab bars, adjustable beds, raised toilet seats, and slip sheets.

Reducing musculoskeletal injuries involves ergonomic planning to make it physically easier for in-home health care providers to do their jobs. Employers may wish to consult with professional in patient care to evaluate whether and when assistive devices should be used. They should also provide ergonomics training for providers, evaluate each patient-care plan to determine whether ergonomic assistive devices are needed, and reassess the training, the care plan, and the assistive devices to determine their effectiveness.

In order to avoid injuries, home healthcare providers should use ergonomic devices when they are available to avoid manual patient handling, and to use proper body mechanics when manual patient handling is necessary.

Home health care workers are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits if they are injured in the course and scope of their employment. These benefits include medical expense benefits, wage loss benefits, permanency benefits, and rehabilitation benefits. If you are a home health care worker who sustains an injury on the job, make sure you get the benefits you are entitled to.

For a free, no-obligation with one of our Minnesota workers’ compensation lawyers, call Meuser & Associates at 877-746-5680 or click here to send us an email.

Visit us at MeuserLaw.com for more information about Minnesota Workers' Compensation.

Three Easy Tips to Avoid Back Injuries at Work While Lifting

Back injuries are by far the most common injuries we see in our Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Law Practice. If you sustain a back injury, you may incur medical bills, you may miss work, and most importantly, you may be in pain. If you sustain an injury in the course and scope of your employment in Minnesota, workers’ compensation provides you with various benefits to help you get back on your feet, including medical benefits, wage loss benefits, permanency benefits, and rehabilitation benefits.

The majority of work-related back injuries involve lifting. A lifting-related back injury can cause muscle injury, when too much stress on the back muscles during a lift cause tiny tears which is known as a muscle strain or sprain. Muscle injuries to the back can be very painful, and can make it difficult to move normally. Thankfully, muscle strains and sprains typically heal. Lifting injuries to the back can also cause disc injuries. Intervertebral discs act like ball bearings and cushions between the vertebrae in the spine. Discs are fibrous rings which can bulge, tear, or rupture when they are injured. A disc injury may cause low back pain which radiates down into the buttocks and/or into the leg. Improper lifting can also cause injury to the joints in the back. These joints may become irritated, or they may become “locked.”

From Spine Health, here are three easy rules to avoid back injury during lifting activities:

1. Keep the chest forward. Bend at the hips, not your low back. Bending at the knees alone will not keep your back straight. Instead, keep your chest pointing forward to keep your back straight. The back muscles will then be used most effectively for maintaining good posture.

As an example, we represented a Minnesota paramedic who was lifting a patient on a stretcher. There was a mis-communication between our client and her partner who was lifting the other end of the stretcher, so when the lift started, she was hunched over and did not have her knees bent. She sustained a disc injury that ultimately required surgery.

2. Lead with the hips, not the shoulders. Twisting during lift is an easy way to injure our back. Your shoulders should be kept in line with your hips to avoid twisting movements. Leading with your shoulders allows your lower back and pelvis to twist, which can cause injury to the low back and pelvis.

Our office represented a warehouse worker who was palletizing boxes of product. He twisted as he was moving a box of product from the production line to the pallet and sustained a severe strain/sprain to his back. Thankfully, his condition resolved with conservative treatment.

3. Keep the weight close to the body. The farther an object is held from one’s center of gravity, the more force that is required to hold the object up. This extra force will also run through the low back. The closer you hold an object to yourself when lifting, the less force that is required, and the less likely you are to injure your back.

We assisted a gentleman who was a desk attendant at a hotel. He went to retrieve luggage for a customer, and stretched out, around a doorway to grab the handle of the luggage. The bag was much heavier than he expected, and he sustained an injury to his low back. He is currently undergoing a variety of conservative treatments to try to resolve his back and leg pain without undergoing surgery.

If you’ve sustained a lifting injury to your back in the course and scope of your employment, you may be entitled to Minnesota Workers’ Compensation benefits. Contact us at Meuser & Associates, by calling us at 877-746-5680 or click here to send us an email for a free, no-obligation consultation with one of our MN workers’ compensation attorneys.