Nerve damage can be very complicated. Healing is not always possible in the same way that it is with other types of injuries. Additionally, since the nerves are how your body passes electrical signals from one area to another, nerve damage can have extensive ramifications.
In some cases, workers will suffer injuries that result in nerve damage. These can have a drastic impact on their ability to work moving forward, and they need to know how to seek workers’ compensation benefits. But they also need to know what signs and symptoms to look out for.
5 potential symptoms
For those who have been injured on the job, here are five common symptoms of nerve damage:
- Shooting pain that moves through the body, such as moving down a person‘s leg.
- Persistent and unexplained weakness.
- A tingling or burning feeling, especially in the extremities.
- A general feeling of numbness in a certain area or perhaps a loss of muscle strength.
- Coordination issues, such as trouble with balance.
For example, a knee injury that results in nerve damage could severely limit someone’s mobility. They may feel that they have no strength in that knee and their ability to balance – let alone walk or lift items at work – is severely limited. This may heal with time, especially if they go through certain types of physical rehabilitation, but it may not.
Additionally, there can be symptoms that indicate an even more severe condition, such as memory loss, seizures, mental impairment, vision problems or slurred speech. It all depends on the part of the body that was injured and how that nerve damage took place.
Every case is unique, but workers who have been injured on the job certainly need to know about their options to seek proper compensation.
