Getting hurt at work can be stressful, especially when an injury affects your ability to perform your normal job duties. Whether the injury happens suddenly or develops from repetitive work activities, taking the appropriate steps after a workplace injury can help ensure that your condition is evaluated, documented, and treated properly.
What Should You Do After a Work Injury?
Workplace injuries can happen from lifting, falls, repetitive movements, equipment-related incidents, overexertion, or other job duties. The steps you take following an injury can be important for both your recovery and the documentation of your condition.
1. Report the Injury
Report the injury to your employer or supervisor as soon as possible and follow your workplace procedures for reporting an on-the-job injury. Be clear about what happened, when it occurred, and what areas of your body were affected.
2. Get the Injury Properly Evaluated
Some work injuries may initially seem minor but become more painful as inflammation, stiffness, or limited movement develops. A proper evaluation can help identify the injured areas, establish your current symptoms and functional limitations, and determine what treatment may be appropriate.
3. Keep Records of Your Injury and Treatment
Keep copies of information related to the injury, including medical appointments, treatment recommendations, work restrictions, and other documentation you receive. Keeping organized records can make it easier to track your treatment and progress.
4. Follow Your Treatment Plan Right for You?
Attend scheduled appointments and follow the treatment recommendations provided by your healthcare team. Depending on the injury, treatment may include physical therapy, chiropractic care, therapeutic exercise, rehabilitation, or other appropriate services designed to improve mobility and function.
5. Follow Your Work Restrictions
If your treating provider gives you temporary work restrictions, follow them carefully. Returning to lifting, bending, prolonged standing, repetitive movements, or other demanding job activities too quickly may aggravate an injury. Restrictions may be modified as your condition and functional abilities improve.
Returning to Work Safely
Recovery from a workplace injury is not only about reducing pain. Treatment may also focus on restoring the strength, endurance, mobility, and functional abilities required for your job. When appropriate, work conditioning and work hardening can provide structured, job-specific rehabilitation to help prepare an injured worker for the physical demands of returning to work.
Workers’ Compensation Care at Easy Reach Chiropractic & Physical Therapy
Easy Reach Chiropractic & Physical Therapy provides care for patients with work-related musculoskeletal injuries. Depending on the injury and authorized treatment plan, care may include chiropractic treatment, physical therapy and rehabilitation, therapeutic exercise, and work conditioning or work hardening to address job-specific functional demands.
Schedule a Work Injury Evaluation
If you have been injured at work and have been referred or authorized for treatment, contact Easy Reach Chiropractic & Physical Therapy to schedule your evaluation. Our goal is to help improve function, document progress, and support a safe return to appropriate work activities.