5 Things You Need to Do If You’ve Been Injured On The Job
Have you experienced an accident at work? Over 2.5 million US workers get hurt on the job every year, and these are just reported injuries. For those who do not record their injuries in their place of employment, there are possibly thousands, if not millions more, who suffer every day because of work-related damage and wear and tear to their bodies. If you’ve been injured or had an accident at work, it’s critical for your health and well-being that you address your injury as quickly as possible. Read on to discover the 5 things you need to do if you’ve been injured on the job.
#1. If needed, seek emergency care.
If you’ve just been injured in the workplace, the first and most important thing to do is determine the extent of the injury. What happened? Even if you feel relatively functional in your body, there is always the possibility that the damage could be more severe than you suspect. Or, you may be aware that you have been seriously injured. In either case, seek emergency care. Its important to determine that there are no invisible injuries, like a concussion, internal bleeding, or a fracture or break.
#2. If you’ve been injured, report it to your employer.
Once you’ve determined the extent of your injuries, and are physically able to do so, report your injury to your employer. Check with your supervisor to determine how this is done. Your injury may be recorded on paper and then filed, or it may be passed up the chain of command to something at another level of the organization to take additional steps. This may also be dependent on the severity of the injury.
#3. File a claim and give it to your employer [if necessary]
If you are unable to work due to your injury or require financial compensation for your care, it may be necessary to file a claim and give it to your employer. This process varies from state to state, but information about filing for workers compensation in Grand Rapids, MI can be found at michigan.gov.
#4. Get a wellness check.
Whether you didn’t feel the need to seek emergency care immediately, or if you simply want to seek an update to determine your recovery, its important for you to get some kind of wellness check. This can be done by visiting a wellness professional who specializes in the type of care specific to your injury. You may visit a physical therapist, a medical doctor, or a chiropractor. It may even be advisable to visit with all three (or more), again, this is completely dependent on the type of injury you suffered, as well as the symptoms and conditions you are experiencing in the wake of your injury.
Once you’ve received a wellness check, you can determine your plan of action for treatment. Your wellness professional will help determine the extent of your injuries, estimate how long rejuvenation and healing may take, and provide you with insights about what to expect during your healing process.
#5. Get wellness care.
In order to heal properly, it is critical that you receive regular wellness care. Its common for people to experience seemingly minor injuries that only worsen with time, even after they are thought to be healed. In other cases, people experience serious injuries that never heal completely because they don’t have the foundation of wellness support that is required to help them recover.
At Advanced Spine and Posture of Grand Rapids, MI, we fully support your workers compensation chiropractic care. In many cases, your employer or insurance may be fully equipped to pay for your treatment, which can be very helpful in ensuring that you receive the complete treatment plan you need to recover.
At Advanced Spine and Posture (ASP), we create completely customized treatment plans that are designed for you as an individual. Using advanced digital imaging technology, x-rays, visual assessments, and muscle strength resistance tests, our expert chiropractors are able to analyze and identify where injury has taken a toll on your body, and what treatment plan would best help to correct and resolve your discomfort.
Even if youre not in pain, you may still need care.
Its common for people to believe that they don’t need care because they’re not in pain. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth! Pain isnt the only indicator that something is amiss in the body, and sometimes, the symptoms of injury can be so subtle that they aren’t noticeable until the injury has worsened significantly.
Injury often creates misalignment in the spine, and between the spine and the brain, nearly every other body system is affected when this happens. An injury to the back and the spine can create a negative ripple effect. Once the body has a misalignment in the spine (from impact like a fall, a bump, or repetitive movement and poor posture), any of the following symptoms are possible: headaches, migraines, mental fogginess, back pain, neck pain, lethargy, poor posture, numbness, impaired digestion, irregular heartbeat and blood pressure, and anxiety.
Because of the close link between the spine and the nervous system, when the spine is misaligned even slightly, many normal body processes can be disrupted. After receiving regular chiropractic care, patients often report with surprise that many other unexplained symptoms have disappeared or been ameliorated.
Chiropractic care after an injury can help you completely recover.
If you’ve had a workplace injury and you’re prepared to support your body completely in your recovery, book an appointment with us at Advanced Spine and Posture today. We are your advocates in health and wellness and are eager to help you reach your maximum potential of vitality.
If you’re seeking workplace injury health care in the Grand Rapids area, contact us today to get started and experience the highest quality of care that Michigan has to offer. Get started now!
