Many workplace injuries are caused by contact with an external element. For instance, a worker above you drops a tool and it strikes your shoulder, or you fall and strike your knee on the ground. It’s the contact that causes the injury, and it’s often very clear how you’ve been hurt.
However, it’s worth noting that a non-contact injury may actually be more serious than one caused by this type of contact. These injuries, which are common in sports, often occur when tendons and ligaments are torn. Something puts too much stress on these fragile parts of your body, and one of them breaks.
This may not seem as serious at the moment because you don’t have an obvious fracture, there’s no bleeding, and things of this nature. But a broken arm can heal in a matter of weeks. With something like an ACL injury, you’re probably looking at months of healing time, extensive physical therapy and high medical bills. It may appear less serious at the moment that it happens, but don’t let that fool you.
How could this happen at work?
There are a lot of ways that this could happen on the job. Often, it’s just one wrong step that twists your knee or ankle in a certain direction. It could also happen if there’s too much weight and the muscles, tendons, and ligaments cannot support it. For instance, maybe you try to lift a heavy item and then take a bad step over a single stair. This puts you off balance just slightly, but the added weight from the item you’re carrying pushes your body past the point where it can support it.
If this does happen to you, you could be looking at months of lost wages and higher medical bills than you ever imagined, so make sure you know how to seek workers’ compensation.