Back Injuries from Lifting Heavy Items in Stores

Injury incurred from lifting heavy items while you’re in a store could be cause for a lawsuit. It should not be a burden for a shopper to lift certain products while looking at or attempting to buy them. At Van Law Firm, we can help you establish a lawsuit to get you compensation for back injuries you suffered from lifting heavy items in a store.

Back Injuries that Can Result from Lifting Heavy Items

The severity of injuries seen with heavy lifting can range from someone’s back becoming strained, either in a muscle or the ligaments, or suffering from disc herniation. These injuries are known to cause similar pain, but some disc herniations can be severe enough to require surgery.

These injuries can cause chronic pain that can last a lifetime if not treated correctly. We’re here to help establish a lawsuit if you suffered this type of injury while lifting an item in a store.

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Symptoms of a Severe Back Injury

Common signs of a lower back strain or a herniated disc include:

• Sudden pain in your lower back region with the accompanying sound or feel of a “pop”
• Pain that worsens with movements
• Muscle spasms or cramps
• A compromised range of motion with issues involving walking, standing, or bending

Prevention Tips

Tips and techniques that someone can use to prevent these types of lifting injuries include:

1. Lifting with your legs
2. Checking the item’s weight first before fully picking it up or pulling it down
3. Lifting with equal amounts in each arm
4. Aligning both your shoulders & hips while keeping your chest forward
5. Staying straight while lifting
6. Keeping whatever you’re lifting close to you
7. Not lifting things that will push your limits
8. Strengthening your core to make lifting easier

Treatments for Back Injuries

While some strains and herniated discs may resolve on their own, it is important to seek medical attention if your pain levels are persistent. Some physicians may suggest a patient take anti-inflammatory medications or utilize heat/cold therapy. If these treatments do not lessen the patient’s pain, it is imperative that the physician creates another treatment plan.

Some patients will need minimally invasive surgery such as:

• Discectomy – A discectomy removes about 10% of the disc, while the other 90% remains intact. The goal is to remove pressure from the nerve causing the pain.
• Foraminotomy – A foraminotomy is sutureless with the same goal of removing pressure from the nerve causing the patient pain. 
• Laminectomy – A laminectomy is done in 45 minutes with patients walking right after and the goal is to preserve the patient’s muscles, tendons, and soft tissue.

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Establishing a Lawsuit for a Lifting Injury

If you need a lawyer to establish a personal injury suit against the store where you injured yourself while lifting an object, Van Law Firm is here to help. In order to prove that a store was negligent in making their patrons lift large objects, a lawyer must look for the following:

1. Was there fault by someone other than the store?
2. Did the store owe the patron a duty of care?
3. Was this duty breached?
4. Was there a causal link between the breached duty and the patron’s injury?

If our lawyers can establish these four key factors, it is likely the claim will be successful. 

Damages You Can Seek for a Lifting Injury

Once the lawsuit is established, your lawyer can establish an approximate amount for damages you could receive due to the store’s negligence. Some of the damages a lawyer can ask for include the following:

• Lost wages
• Medical expenses
• Compensation for any losses
• Emotional distress
• Costs for ongoing medical treatment
• Loss of consortium

Van Law Firm is equipped with the best personal injury attorneys in Nevada to fight to get you the compensation you deserve.

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Turn to Us if You Need Help with a Lifting Injury Case

If you or someone you know has suffered a back injury from lifting a heavy object in a store, contact us at Van Law Firm for a free consultation. Van Law Firm can help you attain the compensation you need.