Injury in the Job Description
Being a construction worker can allow people to make quite a lot of money. However, this is a job full of different risks, since there are many ways to get hurt when not being excessively careful. Thus, injuries happen every day at construction sites.
When something of this type does happen, it is best to react quickly and properly. Time is of the essence since it helps prevent any inflammations which may affect the injury spot. Moreover, timely treatment helps avoiding further complications.
As for the pain, it starts affecting a person as soon as he/she gets hurt. The acute pain spreads out around the body, and, if left untreated, sometimes evolves into chronic pain which is much harder to get taken care of.
Construction workers operate vehicles, use welding machines, climb extreme heights from which they can fall and use cranes and scaffolds, both of which may lead to dangerous situations when handled badly.
Falling, however, is the main reason behind serious injuries of construction workers. However, spraining and straining of limbs and back is quite common too, due to excessively heavy objects these people have to handle.
Examination and Diagnosis
First of all, upon being submitted to a medical facility, the patient's painful body area is to be analyzed and scanned. Nowadays, doctors use diagnostic injections which contain fluoroscopic materials which enable them to see where the exact point of injury is. Once found, the source of the pain is treated immediately.
In case of back injury, epiduroscopy needs to be performed. This involves inserting a small camera device into one's spinal canal, searching for the injury from the inside, checking the spinal cord, nerves and the inside of the canal. This is very useful for knowing where to administer injections, cut certain parts or remove toxins.
Sometimes, the pain-triggering nerve can be isolated by injections, before the cause is treated successfully.
A Few words about Statistics
One out of every 10 construction workers gets injured every year. Only in 2003, 400,000 people were hurt so badly, that they were forced not to come to work that year. In 2005, this number escalated to 4.2 million, regarding illnesses and injuries.
Luckily, 9 out of 10 workers have the insurance necessary for their injuries to be covered. For these people, the examination and treatment, as well as other medical expenses are free of charge. Thus, their problem is quickly diagnosed and treated as soon as possible.
Your thoughts on this
Loading...