If you get injured at work, you may feel some level of pressure to try to “walk it off” and get through the injury without even leaving the business for the day. This could be because your boss doesn’t want you to take time off or because they don’t want you to see a doctor and file a workers’ compensation claim. It could also be because they know that productivity is going to drop when you are out, and they are focusing on productivity more than your health.
Even when you feel this pressure, do not try to just walk it off. This often does not help and can even make things far worse if you have suffered a serious injury. For example, neck and spinal cord injuries can get more serious if there is extensive movement after the injury. You never want to take this chance. It’s always important to talk to medical professionals to find out what the injury looks like and what type of treatment you need.
Won’t that be expensive?
Another reason that people sometimes decide to walk it off is because they think it will be prohibitively expensive to go to the doctor. It’s understandable. Medical debt is the number one cause of bankruptcy in the United States for a reason. A lot of people avoid getting the care that they need simply because of the financial burden it places on them.
But the good news is that you don’t have to worry about this if you’ve been injured on the job. You should be covered by workers’ comp laws, which will pay you a portion of your wages and cover your medical bills since you have a work-related injury. You just need to know exactly what steps to take to get the benefits that you deserve.