While an alarming number of Americans continue to die at work, you are much more likely to sustain an injury or develop an occupational illness. In fact, in the private sector in 2020 alone, more than 2.7 million Americans suffered non-fatal illnesses or injuries at their places of employment.
Traumatic injuries, such as amputation, are impossible to ignore. Still, some work-related injuries may have delayed symptoms. Because of delayed symptoms, you may not realize you are hurt until hours or days later.
Muscle pain
It may be tempting to believe your neck or back pain comes from putting in a hard day’s work. Nevertheless, if you have muscular soreness after slipping, tripping or falling, your muscle pain may be a symptom of a more serious injury.
Headaches
Stress, loud noises and other occupational factors may give you a headache. While some headaches are probably nothing to worry about, others may be a sign of a traumatic brain injury. If your headaches develop after hitting your head at work, you should not think of them as a minor inconvenience.
Abdominal discomfort
Your torso is where most of your vital organs live. Consequently, if you are in some type of internal distress, you are likely to experience discomfort in your abdomen. While it may take some time to appear, abdominal pain after a workplace accident is a medical emergency.
Depending on the seriousness of your injury, you may have to act quickly to prevent catastrophic harm. Ultimately, by reporting your injury and going to the doctor when pain sets in, you increase your odds of receiving both adequate treatment and workers’ compensation benefits.