Whether running short trips or performing long-haul trucking, tractor-trailer drivers may find the job has an unfortunate physical effect. Repetitive stress could lead to shoulder and other injuries, and a painful condition may force an Illinois driver to take time off from work. Even when a driver takes great care to avoid accidents and harm, repetitive stress may make an injury impossible to avoid.
Dealing with the repetitive nature of truck driving
Truck drivers may find those “little things” that are part of the day-to-day duties of the job have caught up with them. A truck driver may not be responsible for loading cargo onto the trailer, but that doesn’t mean he or she is never at risk for neck, back and shoulder pain. Over time, the act of getting into the truck could cause problems.
Reaching for the step handles and pulling oneself into the truck may wear down the shoulder. Then one day, the pain gets to be too much. A doctor’s diagnosis may reveal shoulder issues that require time off or even surgery.
Repetitive stress injuries
This kind of injury affects many different professionals. Everyone from office professionals to loading dock personnel runs the risk of shoulder issue troubles. Truck drivers may find themselves diagnosed with shoulder issues due to climbing, steering and other routine tasks.
Carrying things on and off a truck could cause shoulder problems as many realize. How many people know that a truck’s vibrations may cause problems? Several years of exposure to vibrations may lead a truck driver to initiate a workers’ compensation claim.
Filing a workers’ comp claim could provide a truck driver, or any professional, with financial support when he or she is unable to work. Preventive steps may be better, but some injuries happen regardless of how careful someone is.
Truck drivers should take any shoulder pain seriously. A medical examination may reveal worse injuries than believed.