Elbows can see a lot of injury occurrences during daily activities and while participating in sporting events. However, there are also a number of conditions that can affect the elbow just from doing the job you get paid to do.
Workers suffering from the pain of on the job elbow injuries may have quite a road to recovery. There are several forms of elbow problems that can occur on the job including:
Slips and Falls – can lead to injuries or breaks in the elbow region when landing on hard surfaces.
Accidental Impact – working in close quarters or around objects can lead to employees banging their elbow into things which can result in breaks or fractures.
Cubital Tunnel Syndrome – this is an irritation of the nerve on the inside of the elbow. Pain and numbness are common symptoms especially in the forearm and the ring and pinky fingers. This type of elbow-related injury occurs after repetitive motions performed on the job.
Lateral Epicondylitis – this is an inflammation of the outside region of the elbow that is caused by work-related job duties including repetitive grasping motions.
Ruptured Tendon – this can come about during heavy lifting activities where the tendon in the elbow ruptures causing pain and bruising to the affected area.
The treatment of elbow injuries varies based on the nature of the condition. In many cases, surgery is necessary to repair ruptured tendons as well as conditions which degenerates the condition of the elbow. In other cases, a routine of physical therapy will be required to treat the elbow and bring it back into functioning condition.
Elbow problems caused by on the job injuries or work tasks leave employees at risk for being unable to continue their work tasks. Chronic pain can result from untreated injuries and again employees stand the chance of not being able to work with an affected elbow.