Muscle Strain Injury at Work

Muscle Strain Injury

A muscle strain or more commonly called ‘pulled’ or ‘torn’ muscle is an overstretch or tear in your muscle fibres. Muscles are made up of bands of fibres which relax and tighten as you move. Muscles will be strained if they are stretched beyond what is comfortable for them or they are made to work too hard or too fast. Strains can happen suddenly or over the course of a few days, weeks or months and those with physically demanding jobs are often the ones dealing with aches and pains and muscle injuries.

Symptoms of muscle strain:

The signs of a muscle strain depend on how severe the injury is to the muscle. In general symptoms may include:

• pain
• swelling
• bruising
• weakness
• loss of movement
• fatigue

Muscle strains are graded based on severity, first degree mild, second degree moderate and third degree severe. Mild strains only affect a limited number of fibres in the muscle compared to moderate strains whereby nearly half of the fibres are torn and severe strains where there has been a complete rupture of the muscle. Grade one and two symptoms will typically ease within a few days however grade three will require medical treatment and recovery will take a lot longer.

It is a misconception that people who work in an industrial, construction or manufacturing environment are the ones at most risk of becoming injured at work. Even those working in a comfortable office are at risk. Hazards in the office frequently include poor ergonomics and heavy lifting.  There are a number of steps employers can take to reduce the risk and prevent an employee from suffering a muscle strain injury:

• train their workforce to recognise the early warning signs of a possible strain, that is, excessive fatigue and discomfort
• ensure their employees pay attention to their posture
• allow regular rest breaks
• modify repetitive tasks
• reduce the amount of heavy lifting

If you have suffered a muscle strain injury at work and you feel it was through no fault of your own then you may be able to make a claim or compensation. Our specialist solicitors can help to evaluate your situation and advise you on how to progress. No matter how mild your injury and no matter the circumstances.

Contact us today for free, no obligation advice regarding your Accident At Work claim – either by calling us free on 0800 028 2060, or by requesting a free call back, whereby one of our team will contact you at a time of your choice, to discuss your situation.

We’re here to help – contact us today.