A back injury can seriously disrupt your life. It can rob you of your ability to work, care for yourself or your kids, play sports or move around without pain. Back injuries are significantly reducing the qualify of life of thousands of New Yorkers.
People can suffer back injuries in many ways, but one of the most common sources of back problems is work. Whether you hurt your back in a sudden on-the-job accident or gradually over many years of physical strain, the disabling pain and physical limitations are the same. It might be months or years before you can go back to work — if you ever can.
Four ways workers in Schenectady injure their backs
There are four main types of back injuries that workers can sustain. They are:
- Soft tissue injuries, including sprains (stretched or torn ligaments) and strains (stretched or torn muscles)
- Herniated discs in the spinal column
- Degenerative conditions such as arthritis, spinal stenosis and degenerative disc disease
- Fractures from a fall or due to osteoporosis
Some back injuries are relatively minor. Treatment can cure them, or at least make them manageable so that you can keep working. But often, work-related back injuries are so debilitating that you must stop working to help your recovery. As everyone knows, medical care can be very expensive, even if you have good health insurance.
Workers’ compensation can help you pay those medical bills and keep your family financially stable during your recovery. But your employer may try to claim that you suffered your back injury outside of work or even accuse you of lying or exaggerating. Fortunately, if your workers’ comp claim gets rejected, or the insurance company offers you far less than you need, you have the right to appeal in New York.