Work Injuries Specialist

What are work injuries?

Work injuries can happen in any occupation, even the jobs that don’t require very much movement or exertion. Some are acute and happen rapidly, often requiring immediate care. Others develop slowly because of the same repeated movements that you perform every day, even if they don’t involve large or numerous muscles. 

Three of the most common work injury types are sprains, strains, and tears, which all involve soft tissue. A few signs of a work injury, which could affect your muscles, ligaments, nerves, or tendons, are:

• Leg pain
• Neck pain
• Back pain
• Arm or wrist pain
• Shoulder pain
• Sciatica (radiating or tingling pain through your buttock and leg)
• Chest wall pain
• Sacroiliac joint pain or dysfunction

Whiplash, another term for neck strain, happens when your head jerks forward or backward. It can happen in certain occupations, often those that involve driving, since it’s a common auto accident injury. 

How are work injuries treated?

Work injuries require multimodal, customized treatment approaches. The providers at Interventional Pain Consultants ask about your symptoms and what your work entails before performing imaging tests to confirm a diagnosis. Then, they can make recommendations for your treatment. 

In addition to referring you to a physical therapist for recovery, Interventional Pain Consultants offers:

Epidural steroid injections

Epidural steroid injections relieve the inflammation that aggravates your spinal cord or the nerves near it. Your provider places them carefully into your neck or back with X-ray guidance into the epidural space within your spine. 

Joint injections

Joint injections can include steroids for inflammation relief. This includes facet joint injections, which treat the joints between vertebrae in your back.  

Radiofrequency ablation

Radiofrequency ablation is a minimally invasive procedure that damages nerves causing significant pain. This controlled damage from radio waves stops the pain for six months to two years or longer until the nerve eventually regenerates. 

Nerve root blocks

Nerve root blocks, like medial branch blocks, include combinations of a steroid and local anesthesia to relieve pain. They target and numb specific nerves at their root. They can treat pain in your arms or legs, depending on where the targeted nerve travels. 

How can I prevent workplace injuries in the future?

Preventing work injuries isn’t always entirely possible, but there are always steps you can take to protect yourself from them. Perhaps most importantly, you should follow all instructions and regulations from your employer. Be sure to use any equipment only for its intended use and wear protective equipment when necessary. 

Since many workplace injuries come from repeated motions or overexertion, it’s important to rest the muscles you use most regularly. You can also stretch them and relieve day-to-day pain with home care like warm baths or over-the-counter pain relievers. 

To find out more about work injuries and treatments available for them, call Interventional Pain Consultants, or schedule your appointment online at the nearest location today.