Back injuries can happen to any worker at any time. On top of that, back pain is such a common issue that it is actually the top reason for workers calling out from their jobs across the globe.
To that end, it is important to understand how back injuries work and why they are such a major financial problem for workers across the board.
Factors that impact recovery
Cleveland Clinic discusses the process of recovering from a back injury. This will depend on many factors, of course. First of all, the health of the injured victim can play into how bad the injury itself is, or how long it takes to recover. The type of injury, its location and its severity will also affect healing times.
But one thing most back injuries share is a long healing process. Even small muscular sprains can take days or even weeks to fully recover from. During this time, it is crucial for the victims to do as little movement as possible, or they risk injuring their back even further.
Returning to work too soon
Of course, many feel like they have to return to work before they heal, or their bosses may even demand they return. However, doing so can result in the back injury worsening, which means the victim ends up having to take off even more time to recover.
They often have to use personal leave or unpaid time off, as well. This creates a financial problem in that the worker does not make any money, while potentially losing money on healthcare costs. This is why many back injury victims will seek financial compensation.