Most workers want to get back to work as quickly as their health permits. Unfortunately, some return to work too soon.
Going back to work can be a wonderful moment for an injured worker. As fun as it might sound to not have a job, it gets boring quickly, and most people are ready to get busy and start earning a living again. Still, making this move can go wrong if the employee’s health is not where it should be. Here’s why.
Further Injuries
The top danger you face when coming back to work too early is injuring yourself again. This event can happen in two ways. First, you might re-injure the same body part as before. An example is a worker with a back strain coming back and starting to lift heavy objects again, which could cause damage. The second way is when somebody changes their movements patterns to compensate for an injury, and in doing so, puts a strain on another part of their body. You are at risk of both of these dangers when you return to work too soon.
Frustration
Even if you don’t suffer further damage, you still might find that you’re frustrated trying to do your job. One example is not being able to lift as much as you used to. The result will be you working slower and being disappointed as a result. Additionally, you might not re-injure yourself, but you could feel pain when carrying out tasks. That is no way to live, and you’ll eventually lose your desire to keep going back to work every day.
Medication Side Effects
Depending on the nature of your injury, you may receive some medication for your treatment. The most common of them are painkillers, which help people with chronic issues cope with their day to day discomfort. Another example is anti-anxiety drugs, which you may take if your workplace accident causes mental health problems. Either way, these medications have side effects that could make your work dangerous. Many pills cause drowsiness and poor motor skills, just like alcohol, so you may not want to return to work if your dose is too high.
Lessened Benefits
There are many benefits to returning to work, including the possibility of higher pay, feeling useful, and filling your day with meaningful tasks. That being said, there are some adverse effects too. The most prevalent of them is your benefits being reduced. While this is an acceptable result for those that are ready to return to work, it can be disastrous for employees that come back too soon. The reason is that they might need to stop working again for health reasons, and their workers’ compensation situation may then become much more complicated.
Most workers want to get back to work as quickly as their health permits. Unfortunately, some return to work too soon. Doing so comes with a variety of negative consequences, so employees should always be careful in these situations. If you ever find yourself in this scenario and don’t know what to do, it is best to discuss your options with an experienced Kansas City workers comp attorney.
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