The Facts About Work Related Musculoskeletal Conditions And Injuries
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration branch of our government reports that work related musculoskeletal conditions or disorders, also known as MSD, account for more than 75% of all Workman's Compensation claims made daily in the United States today.
This means that every day in the average workplace, workers have their neck, back, shoulders, elbows, wrists, forearms, hands, knees, ankles and abdomen regularly exposed to conditions that can lead to some serious injuries.
It also means lengthy medical care, treatment and therapy regimens before these workers are able to return to work even under limited conditions.
Understanding what they are and how to avoid them, can help keep you from becoming another statistic.
Understanding the Recognized Hazards OSHA has also outlined several hazardous conditions in the workplace that regularly occur and may result in workers sustaining musculoskeletal conditions or disorders because of them.
All of these hazards have been proven to result in injuries requiring both medical treatment beyond the limitations of regular first aid, and the restriction of future work availability upon the part of the injured worker.
Avoiding or eliminating these hazards could save companies, insurance companies, the government and the workers themselves, millions of dollars each year and educating the public is just one way to get that process started.
There are six known work related risk factors identified for the development of MSD injuries: 1.
Contact stress 2.
Awkward positions or posture 3.
Vibration 4.
Force 5.
Temperature extremes 6.
Repetition There are ways to avoid all of them, such as wearing safety gear and braces.
In addition the worker should take responsibility for being in the proper position to perform the task, like lifting with knees instead of the back and spine.
Repetition injuries can be avoided with warming up muscles, and special measures like more breaks would reduce the chance of injury.
Commonly Reported MSD Medical Problems Shin Splints: Regardless of the name, the condition known as shin splints actually refers more to the pain felt, rather than the area it affects.
Pain is chronically felt primarily over the front of the tibia bone, and can be caused by damage to the bone itself, the muscles surrounding it or the ligaments that attach the muscles to it.
It is usually caused through overuse, creating irritation within the soft tissues first.
Runners especially suffer from this condition, as do workers who walk heavily throughout their day.
Bursitis: A bursa is the name given the small fluid filled sacs that surround joints, and ease friction and movement of those joints.
When these sacs become inflamed by injury, they swell, causing the condition known as bursitis.
Symptoms of this condition include pain, tenderness and swelling around the infected joint, loss of motion in that joint or a limitation in movement.
It most often affects the shoulder, knee, hip, heel, thumb and elbow and is generally caused by repetitive motion, and rarely by accident.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: The Carpal Tunnel is a hollow tunnel within the wrist that is made up of the transverse ligament and the eight carpal bones on the back of the wrist.
Running through this tunnel are the media nerve, flexor tendons, arteries and lymphatic vessels, and if anything shifts inside the tunnel due to repetitive motion or injury, pressure can be created on any one of the nerves or other tender soft tissues that run through the carpal tunnel.
When this occurs, there is chronic pain, swelling, numbness, and generally affects only the thumb and the first two fingers.
Pain flares during the night, and a weakening grip of the hand are two telling signs of this condition.
Tendonitis: Among the musculoskeletal conditions, this is the one condition that can be experienced anywhere in the body.
Tendonitis is the name given to irritation and inflammation of the major tendons connecting joints to muscles throughout.
It is characterized by swelling, pain, tenderness around the joint, and stiffness or loss of motion.
The pain will weaken or worsen depending on how often that joint is used, and is often caused by repetitive motion.
This means that every day in the average workplace, workers have their neck, back, shoulders, elbows, wrists, forearms, hands, knees, ankles and abdomen regularly exposed to conditions that can lead to some serious injuries.
It also means lengthy medical care, treatment and therapy regimens before these workers are able to return to work even under limited conditions.
Understanding what they are and how to avoid them, can help keep you from becoming another statistic.
Understanding the Recognized Hazards OSHA has also outlined several hazardous conditions in the workplace that regularly occur and may result in workers sustaining musculoskeletal conditions or disorders because of them.
All of these hazards have been proven to result in injuries requiring both medical treatment beyond the limitations of regular first aid, and the restriction of future work availability upon the part of the injured worker.
Avoiding or eliminating these hazards could save companies, insurance companies, the government and the workers themselves, millions of dollars each year and educating the public is just one way to get that process started.
There are six known work related risk factors identified for the development of MSD injuries: 1.
Contact stress 2.
Awkward positions or posture 3.
Vibration 4.
Force 5.
Temperature extremes 6.
Repetition There are ways to avoid all of them, such as wearing safety gear and braces.
In addition the worker should take responsibility for being in the proper position to perform the task, like lifting with knees instead of the back and spine.
Repetition injuries can be avoided with warming up muscles, and special measures like more breaks would reduce the chance of injury.
Commonly Reported MSD Medical Problems Shin Splints: Regardless of the name, the condition known as shin splints actually refers more to the pain felt, rather than the area it affects.
Pain is chronically felt primarily over the front of the tibia bone, and can be caused by damage to the bone itself, the muscles surrounding it or the ligaments that attach the muscles to it.
It is usually caused through overuse, creating irritation within the soft tissues first.
Runners especially suffer from this condition, as do workers who walk heavily throughout their day.
Bursitis: A bursa is the name given the small fluid filled sacs that surround joints, and ease friction and movement of those joints.
When these sacs become inflamed by injury, they swell, causing the condition known as bursitis.
Symptoms of this condition include pain, tenderness and swelling around the infected joint, loss of motion in that joint or a limitation in movement.
It most often affects the shoulder, knee, hip, heel, thumb and elbow and is generally caused by repetitive motion, and rarely by accident.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: The Carpal Tunnel is a hollow tunnel within the wrist that is made up of the transverse ligament and the eight carpal bones on the back of the wrist.
Running through this tunnel are the media nerve, flexor tendons, arteries and lymphatic vessels, and if anything shifts inside the tunnel due to repetitive motion or injury, pressure can be created on any one of the nerves or other tender soft tissues that run through the carpal tunnel.
When this occurs, there is chronic pain, swelling, numbness, and generally affects only the thumb and the first two fingers.
Pain flares during the night, and a weakening grip of the hand are two telling signs of this condition.
Tendonitis: Among the musculoskeletal conditions, this is the one condition that can be experienced anywhere in the body.
Tendonitis is the name given to irritation and inflammation of the major tendons connecting joints to muscles throughout.
It is characterized by swelling, pain, tenderness around the joint, and stiffness or loss of motion.
The pain will weaken or worsen depending on how often that joint is used, and is often caused by repetitive motion.
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