Injuries/Conditions
In 1996, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined that workers lost more than 647,000 workdays – or more than $15 billion in workers compensation costs – due to work-related musculoskeletal disorders.
Spine disorders are particularly common, especially for employees who work with heavy machinery, and our dependence on computers has led to an increase in repetitive motion injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome.
Repetitive motions are also responsible for rotator cuff injuries, heel injuries, tennis elbow, lower back problems and frequent knee pain in athletes at every level.
Younger athletes such as football linemen, divers and gymnasts are unusually susceptible to pars stress fractures, which result from the repetitive bending and straightening of the spine.
The pain can be sharp at first then more dull and achy. It is usually aggravated by standing, bending backward, or repetitively and forcefully extending the spine.
