More Than Just a "Bad Back": Common Work Injuries We Treat at Accident & Wellness Chiropractic

The spine, with its complex network of bones, discs, nerves, and muscles, is incredibly vulnerable to workplace stress. These are perhaps the most frequently encountered work injuries, ranging from acute incidents to gradual wear-and-tear. Some causes can be from improper lifting techniques, sudden twisting motions, slips and falls, prolonged sitting or standing, heavy exertion, and even prolonged vibration from machinery.

Common Conditions

• Lumbar (Lower Back) Strains and Sprains: Tears or overstretching of the muscles and ligaments supporting the lower back, often from lifting or bending. Symptoms include localized pain, stiffness, and muscle spasms.
• Thoracic (Mid-back) Pain: Can result from poor posture at a desk, repetitive reaching, or twisting motions. Often leads to stiffness, burning, or aching between the shoulder blades.
• Cervical (Neck) Strain and Whiplash: Common in falls or impacts, even minor ones. This can lead to stiffness, headaches, reduced range of motion, and pain radiating into the shoulders.
• Disc Injuries (Bulges or Herniations): When the soft discs between your vertebrae are damaged, they can press on nerves, leading to sharp, radiating pain (like sciatica down the leg or pain into the arm), numbness, tingling, or weakness.

How We Help: Chiropractic adjustments are incredibly effective for spinal injuries, restoring proper alignment and motion to reduce nerve irritation and muscle tension. Our massage therapy targets strained muscles, while rehabilitative exercises strengthen core support for lasting relief.

Work injuries aren't confined to the back and neck. Many jobs put significant stress on the "extremity" joints- your shoulders, hips, knees, ankles, and feet. These can range from sudden trauma to overuse injuries. Some causes may include direct impact (such as falls), repetitive motions (overhead reaching or squatting), forceful movements, awkward positioning, or prolonged standing on hard surfaces.

Common Conditions

• Shoulder Injuries: Rotator cuff strains or tears, impingement syndrome, or bursitis from overhead work, falls, or heavy lifting. Symptoms include pain with movement, weakness, and reduced range of motion.
• Hip Injuries: Sprains, strains, or bursitis from repetitive squatting, twisting, or prolonged standing. This may cause pain in the groin, outer hip, or buttocks.
• Knee Injuries: Ligament sprains (like MCL or LCL), meniscus tears, or patellofemoral pain from twisting, kneeling, or direct impact. Symptoms include pain, swelling, and instability.
• Ankle and Foot Injuries: Sprains (especially common from slips and falls), plantar fasciitis (from prolonged standing), or tendonitis. These can cause pain, swelling, and difficulty walking.

How We Help: We apply chiropractic adjusting techniques not just to the spine, but also to the extremity joints to restore proper mechanics. Massage therapy reduces muscle guarding and inflammation, while specific stretching and strengthening exercises are taught to stabilize the joint and prevent re-injury.

Unlike a sudden fall, repetitive strain injuries develop gradually over time. They occur when the same motion or posture is repeated thousands of times, leading to microscopic tissue damage that eventually causes pain, inflammation, and loss of function. These "slow burn" injuries are increasingly common, especially with office work and assembly line jobs. Some causes may be repetitive keyboarding or mouse use, assembly line work, using vibrating tools, prolonged awkward postures, such as reaching and hunching, or repeated forceful gripping.

Common Conditions

• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Compression of the median nerve in the wrist, causing numbness, tingling, pain, and weakness in the hand and fingers, often from repetitive hand and wrist motions.
• Tendonitis: Inflammation of tendons, common in the elbow ("tennis Elbow" or "Golfer's Elbow") from repetitive gripping and twisting, shoulders, or wrist.
• Thoracic Outlet Syndrome: Compression of nerves or blood vessels in the space between your collarbone and first rib, often caused by sustained awkward posture or repetitive arm movements, leading to numbness, tingling, and pain in the arm and hand.
• Neck and Upper Back Pain from Computer Use: Chronic tension, headaches, and stiffness often referred to as "Tech Neck" or "Text Neck".

How We Help: Treatment for RSIs focuses on reducing inflammation, improving joint mechanics, releasing muscle and fascial restrictions with massage, and teaching ergonomic adjustments and specific exercises to correct postural imbalances and strengthen weakened areas. We help identify contributing factors in your work environment to minimize recurrence.

Understanding the type of injury you have is the first step toward effective treatment. At Accident and Wellness Chiropractic, we don't just treat symptoms; we meticulously diagnose your condition and develop a personalized treatment plan that evolves with your healing. 

Our integrated approach, combining chiropractic care, massage therapy, therapeutic ultrasound, electrostim, and guided rehabilitation exercises, addresses both the acute pain and the underlying mechanics of your injury- whether it's your spine, shoulder, knee, or wrist.

If you've suffered a work injury in the SE Portland area, don't let pain or confusion hold you back. Let our experienced team guide you through recovery and the Oregon Workers' Compensation process.

Call Accident and Wellness Chiropractic today at (503)206-8863 to schedule a consultation.