If You Hurt Your Back at Work...

Report it!  If you feel any of the following symptoms anywhere along your back, talk to your supervisor right away!

• Aching
• Sharp pain
• Dull pain
• Pain that comes and goes
• Hot, inflamed feeling
• Tingling
• Unusual tightness
• Unusual muscle weakness or fatigue

File an incident report.  Follow your workplace protocol for filing an incident report.  Be sure the report includes a detailed description of what you were doing when you hurt yourself, how it felt, who you reported to and any action you took.  Be sure to keep a copy of the report for yourself.

Get medical help.  Some states require you to see a company doctor first.  If so, go see your own doctor as well.  A doctor can help you find out which part of your body was strained, sprained, damaged, or injured.  Your treatment will depend on what's wrong and what's causing the pain.

Be sure to tell your doctor all about your job.  Explain the kind of lifting, bending, and twisting you do every day, which tasks cause pain and discomfort, and what kinds of body movement cause pain.

Follow your doctor’s orders.  This may be the hardest part of getting injured!  Healthcare workers are usually the worst patients! 

If your doctor puts you on "light duty," it usually means you cannot lift anything over 25 pounds.  Light duty tasks can include: doing closet checks, passing ice, manicuring nails, doing simple office tasks, and sometimes feeding residents.

Don't do any job, task, or body movement that causes discomfort or pain.  If you continue doing them, your body won't be able to heal and your symptoms might get worse.

It’s rare for a doctor to recommend bed rest.  Most injuries get better faster if you continue to move around in ways that don't make the pain worse.  Be sure to ask your doctor about exercises that will help improve your strength and flexibility as you heal.