Back injuries serve as one of the most common injuries that keep workers from returning to work, or that cause them to call out of work in the first place. Knowing this alone, it is easy to see exactly how back injuries can impact a work situation.
After suffering from a back injury, what do the prospects look like? Exactly how big of an impact can these injuries have?
Expected recovery times
Very Well Health examines the stages of healing that occur after suffering from a back injury. Generally speaking, the amount of time that it takes a back injury to heal will depend on the severity of the injury itself, but even mild back injuries can take weeks of recovery, resulting in weeks of time away from the job.
The primary issue with a back injury is the fact that if a worker returns to work too early, they will exacerbate the issue and end up worsening the initial injury. This results in the worker having to take even more time off, prolonging their recovery period even further.
Accompanying financial struggles
Many workers struggle to take the appropriate amount of time off in the first place, though. Severe back injuries can take months or years of rest and physical therapy to fully recover, while mild injuries still take days or even weeks. Unfortunately, the average worker simply does not have weeks of time they can take off without facing financial repercussions.
This is why many workers with back injuries will seek compensation. This helps make up for the gap between pay loss and medical expenses that many suffer through.