Working in all kinds of environments can put you at risk for a number of different injuries. One situation where many employees sustain unexpected work injuries occurs when they are reacting to potential danger. For instance, when a worker steps onto a wet floor surface and feels as though they may fall, they can actually cause themselves an injury just by reacting. As they try to right themselves back on steady ground, their jerking movements can lead to all kinds of injuries such as pulled or torn muscles or even broken bones. These reaction injuries can often be far more severe than if they had fallen to the floor.
Reaction injuries can affect nearly any area of the body but are most common in the limbs, neck, and back. As we react to the situation, our muscles tighten up and are more prone to injury. A downside to this kind of injury to the muscles is that we may not notice we have been hurt until hours or days have passed. These reactionary injuries are often much worse than if we had fallen outright because many employees will continue to work and potentially end up complicating the injury even further.
If you have tried to avoid a hazard on the job and ended up injured due to your reaction to keep safe, it will be important to have your injuries examined by a doctor. You may have only a little pain in the beginning but by the end of the work week, you may find it difficult to even move the injured area. It is important to follow through with a medical examination on sore, painful muscles because without intervention these injuries can turn decisively worse.
Reaction injuries on the job are quite common whether you are working in a warehouse or in an office job. You can be startled unexpectedly and suffer a pulled muscle in your neck that can be just as serious as if you had been hit by a falling box. You should never dismiss seemingly minor injuries as they often can turn into something more serious and more complicated.