Work Injuries involving sprains, strains, and muscle tears should be covered under Workers’ Compensation.
Workers’ compensation covers various injuries and diseases that occur as a result of your work-related responsibilities. It covers both hard tissue and soft tissue injuries. Many of the injuries reported at the workplace are soft tissue injuries, which affect tendons, ligaments, and muscles of the body. Soft tissue injuries can be a result of sudden a blow or trauma, or repetitive stress motion.
There are no visible signs of injury in case of soft tissue damage, and the injury may not even be visible in a diagnostic scan such as MRI. Even though the soft tissue injuries are not visible, they can cause a lot of pain, and can render a person unable to work.
Soft Tissue Injuries
There are various types of soft tissue injuries such as sprains, strains, and muscle tears that can occur as a result of an accident or prolonged repetitive use of certain muscles. Here are some common soft tissue work injuries:
Sprains: Sudden falls and twists at the workplace can cause tearing and stretching of the ligaments. Sprains do not usually require extensive treatment, but severe cases may require surgery.
Strains: Tearing or stretching of muscles or tendons often results in strains. The severity of the injury can range from minor stretching of the muscle, to a partial or complete tear of the muscle.
Tears: Tearing of soft tissue such as tendons, ligaments or muscles as a result of aggravation of micro tear caused by over use of certain muscles. It causes pain and swelling. Severe tears may need surgical treatment.
Contusions: These are bruises caused by trauma or blow to ligaments, tendons, or muscles. Severe contusions can cause permanent soft tissue damage.
Bursitis: This injury occurs repetitive stress causes irritation or swelling of the soft tissue. It is a condition that usually accompanies tendonitis.
Tendonitis: The inflammation of the tendon or surrounding tissue is called tendonitis. Symptoms include redness, swelling, inflammation, and pain.
Lacerations: An open wound that is caused by an injury on the skin and soft tissue. Normally, a blunt blow causes these injuries, and the treatment would depend on the size and depth of the wound.
Stress Fractures: Repetitive stress causes micro tears that can aggravate into stress injuries if not treated in a timely manner.
Cellulitis: It is an infection of the skin and the surrounding soft tissue. It is caused by strep or staph bacteria. It occurs when the bacteria find their way through an open wound into the skin.
Tenosynovitis: It is the inflammation of the tissue surrounding the tendons. The common symptoms of Tenosynovitis are a grinding feeling and pain that occurs when you move the affected part.
Whiplash: Injury caused by a sudden jerk to the neck.
St. Louis Workers’ Compensation Lawyers
If you have suffered a soft tissue injury at the workplace, you should report it to your employer as soon as possible. Remember, it is your right to claim workers’ compensation for your work related injuries. A Workers’ Compensation lawyer at our Law Office would be happy to help you understand your rights as an injured worker. To schedule a free and private consultation, call us today at (314) 361-4300 or fill out our Online Contact Form.
photo credit: IK’s World Trip via Flickr