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Some jobs come with a risk of knee injuries

On Behalf of | Jun 25, 2018 | Firm News |

Many professions have duties that include a lot of knee usage. From having to climb up ladders to heavy lifting, your knees can get a real workout during the day. This is especially true for manual laborers, including cable and carpet installers, linemen, factory workers and other similar laborers.

The risk of knee injuries usually doesn’t stop these workers from doing their jobs. Instead, they may take steps to minimize the risk of injuries and seek medical care as soon as they realize something is amiss. Here are some important things to know about knee injuries:

Cumulative trauma is possible

Many knee injuries stem from cumulative trauma at work, such as having to climb ladders throughout the day. These injuries can seem like mild soreness at first — but they can get progressively worse as time progresses. This is the reason why anyone who feels stiffness or aches and pain in the knees should be medically evaluated as soon as possible. Medical exams might uncover cumulative trauma injuries before the damage to the joints gets so bad that invasive options are the only way to treat them.

Injuries from accidents can occur

Some knee injuries are the result of accidents, e.g., falls from ladders or being struck in the knee by an object. When this happens, you will likely feel sudden pain. It is possible that there will be obvious deformities in the knee, which is the case if there is a fracture or another serious injury. Pain that doesn’t subside is another sign that medical care is necessary.

Treatment is based on various factors

The treatment that you need after a knee injury depends on a host of factors. The type of injury that you suffered, your lifestyle and the extent of the damage to the knee’s components can all affect your treatment plan. Some of the possible treatments include medication, surgery and physical therapy. It is possible that all three options will be used to address the problem.

Healing can take time

You shouldn’t expect to heal immediately from a knee injury. These type of injuries typically take time to recover from because of the amount of pressure on the knee when patients’ walk. In severe cases, there is a chance that you will have to remain off work for the duration of the healing process. In these cases, workers’ compensation might be in order if the injury was caused by something that occurred at work.