Having a good work ethic means putting your nose to the grindstone even when you don’t feel like working. It may mean coming into work the day after your birthday despite feeling tired or powering through the lingering symptoms of a cold that make you irritable and miserable.
A good work ethic should not include doing irreversible damage to your body. However, that is the exact standard that some people try to hold themselves to at work. They ignore the warning signs that their job has caused damage to their bodies until their symptoms reach the point of no return.
If you have noticed that the daily functions of your job have started to cause pain, even if they only occur during the later part of your shift, ignoring that pain could be a big mistake.
You may have a repetitive motion injury
Whether you work in manufacturing or as an executive assistant at a busy corporation, your job probably involves performing some of the same tasks over and over, day after day. While you may feel acclimated to your job responsibilities, they can eventually do real damage to your body.
Tasks ranging from chopping and typing to driving and lifting can cause damage when performed repeatedly. Repetitive motion injuries affect the muscles, joints and connective tissue of the human body. The pain they produce is a warning sign that you have started to develop damage from the way you use your body. Those symptoms will only continue to get worse if you ignore them, possibly leaving you unable to continue doing your job.
Workers’ compensation can help
You don’t have to drop a 50 lb. box on your foot or electrocute yourself to qualify for workers’ compensation. The benefits can also help those dealing with carpal tunnel or a similar repetitive motion injury. You can receive both medical coverage and disability benefits so that you can take time off for your injuries to heal.
Letting your employer know about your symptoms is a good starting point. Seeing your doctor for a diagnosis is also important. Taking the right steps when you notice work-related pain can help you protect your health and your income with the aid of workers’ compensation benefits.