What should you know about debilitating lower back pain?

As a worker, your back health is crucial to your overall capabilities at your job. This goes for anyone regardless of what type of work you do. Whether you sit or stand, move or stay still, your back plays a crucial role in all of it.

Thus, debilitating lower back pain often causes more damage than you might suspect. Not only is it excruciating to deal with, but it can also cause you to take a lot of time off work. It can even put your job in jeopardy.

Chronic and acute back pain

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke examines lower back pain in individuals. There are two types of back pain in general: chronic back pain and acute back pain. Acute back pain lasts anywhere from days to weeks. It often resolves on its own and sometimes has no residual loss of function as long as you perform appropriate self-care. This includes resting, applying ice or heat as directed by a doctor, and not straining the affected area.

Chronic back pain lasts 12 weeks or longer. It continues even after the underlying issue or initial injury have healed or otherwise undergone treatment. Despite the persistent pain, there is not always an underlying cause to treat. Sometimes, it can take a while to identify the cause, too. Sometimes, surgical or medical intervention is necessary in order to treat chronic back pain.

Taking time off work to heal

Unfortunately, this can mean taking weeks or even months off of work as you go through procedures and periods of healing. This will put an enormous dent in your income and can even threaten your job stability. This is why many back pain sufferers in your position seek legal help. They can guide you through the healing process and ensure you have enough financial support to keep yourself afloat.

The available legal employment relief for chronic back pain includes:

1. Workers’ compensation, if the back injury occurred on the job, or
2. Social Security Disability if the pain keeps you from working, regardless of its cause, or
3. The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), if you need accommodations at work for the pain.

We handle work comp and SSD claims but not ADA matters. We can make a referral to an outstanding employment law attorney if someone has an ADA matter.