Knee Injuries at Work
Various types of workplace injuries can occur in Maryland that can impact an employee’s mobility and require extensive medical care and rehabilitation. Knee injuries are relatively common and frequently result in missed workdays, depending on their severity. Like other workplace injuries that arise out of and occur in the course of employment in Maryland, it may be possible to obtain workers’ compensation benefits if you sustain a knee injury while doing your job or while you are otherwise on the clock. Our Maryland workers’ compensation attorneys can tell you more about knee injuries and how they occur.
Common Types of Work-Related Knee Injuries
The knee is actually the largest joint in a person’s body, according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), and it is also among the “most easily injured” parts of the body. There are many components to a knee that can be injured, including bones, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons. When knee injuries occur in the workplace, they can range from minor to severe, and the severity of the injury will play a key role in determining the amount of missed workdays and medical care needed.
The AAOS cites the following as the most common types of knee injuries:
- Dislocations: this type of injury occurs when knee bones “are out of place, either completely or partially.” When these injuries occur as work, they usually result from what the AAOS describes as “high energy trauma,” meaning falls or motor vehicle collisions.
- Fractures: this type of injury typically involves the patella, but the femur and tibia can also be fractured. Like dislocations, when these injuries occur in Maryland workplace, they usually happen because of “high energy trauma,” including both slips and falls and falls from heights.
- Tears: these types of injuries include tendon tears and meniscal tears. When these injuries occur in workplaces, they often happen from awkward twisting motions, jumps, or falls.
- Ligament injuries: there are a wide range of injuries that can affect ligaments in the knee, and they are often caused by force that “pushes the knee sideways,” including both struck-by injuries and certain falls. Ligament injuries include medial collateral ligament (MCL) injuries, posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injuries, and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries; and
- Strains and sprains: these are also ligament injuries that can result from trauma as well as repetitive motions over time.
Causes of Knee Injuries in Maryland Workplaces
Knee injuries at work can result from traumatic accidents and repetitive motions or overuse over time. The following are some common causes of knee injuries in workplaces:
- Slips and falls;
- Falls from heights;
- Prolonged kneeling;
- Prolonged or repeated bending or squatting; and
- Transportation-related accidents.
Contact a Maryland Workers’ Compensation Attorney
Knee injuries at work may be compensable through the Maryland workers’ compensation system. It is important to know that you do not need to prove negligence or fault in order to obtain benefits, but you will need to follow important steps quickly after your injury if you want to be eligible for compensation. You should get in touch with an experienced Maryland workers’ compensation lawyer at the Law Offices of Steinhardt, Siskind and Lieberman, LLC today to discuss your case. Contact us for more information.
Sources:
bls.gov/iif/nonfatal-injuries-and-illnesses-tables/case-and-demographic-characteristics-table-r13-2020.htm
orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases–conditions/common-knee-injuries/
