Surprising Ways a Work-Related Back Injury Can Affect Your Life

 Posted on December 06, 2022 in Workers' Compensation

Anyone who has ever suffered a back injury knows just how painful these injuries can be. When a work-related incident leads to a back injury, the worker can be left with limited capabilities. Some back injury sufferers are unable to work at all. Back pain is the leading cause of disability across the globe.

Auto accidents, strenuous activities, and repetitive stress are just some of the ways workers can suffer neck and back injuries while on the job. The results of a serious back injury can affect an individual’s life professionally, financially, physically, and psychologically.  

Workplace Accidents and Repetitive Strain Can Lead to Back Injuries

Sometimes, a spine injury is the result of a sudden accident like falling or being involved in a car crash. Other spine injuries are the result of repetitive stress. Sitting in an ill-fitting office chair, standing all day, or carrying heavy objects can lead to repetitive stress back injuries. A serious back injury or neck injury can affect nearly every aspect of a person’s life.

The Effects of a Back Injury Can Be Far Reaching

Not only can back injuries be extremely painful, that pain can also have a cognitive effect on the sufferer. Research suggests that back pain can decrease motivation and make it harder to make decisions and adapt to changing environments. In laboratory experiments with mice, chronic pain decreased reward-seeking behavior. Scientists think the same is true of human sufferers of chronic back pain. Being in pain all the time decreases a worker’s motivation both on and off the clock.

Chronic pain from a work-related back injury can also negatively impact sleep quality. People with chronic pain report sleep problems at twice the rate of those without chronic pain.

Unsurprisingly, chronic pain is also closely associated with major depressive disorders. In fact, one study showed that chronic lower back pain makes a person four times as likely to suffer from clinical depression. Research shows that chronic pain can negatively influence physical functioning, interpersonal relationships, sleep, mood, and overall quality of life.

Contact a Gilroy Workers’ Compensation Lawyer

If a work-related back injury has impacted your life, contact the offices of Cramer + Martinez for help pursuing benefits through the California workers’ compensation program. Call our Santa Clara County workers’ compensation attorneys at 408-848-1113. Set up your free consultation today.

Sources:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29578947/

https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2014/07/study-reveals-brain-mechanism-behind-chronic-pains-sapping-of-mo.html

https://www.spine-health.com/conditions/depression/depression-and-chronic-back-pain

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2374373518786013