How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 35 severe cases of radiculopathy and disc disorders. These injuries often involve the lumbar region, causing debilitating pain that can immediately limit your ability to stand, walk, or lift.
Disc disorders frequently result in long-term functional limitations and chronic nerve pain. Because these injuries often require extensive physical therapy or surgical intervention, they can significantly impact your future earning capacity and long-term physical health.
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Free Benefits ReviewWhat causes Radiculopathy and Disc Disorders
Overexertion while moving materials by hand is the leading cause of these injuries, accounting for 30% of all reported cases. You may suffer herniated discs while performing routine tasks like lifting heavy containers, twisting to reach for items, or bending to retrieve objects from the floor.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Overexertion while materials moving by hand | 9 |
| 2 | Twisting, reaching, bending | 7 |
| 3 | Other fall to lower level | 4 |
| 4 | Overexertion while providing medical or custodial care | 2 |
| 5 | Fall on same level | 2 |
| 6 | Contact with animals— n.e.c. | 1 |
| 7 | Struck by falling object | 1 |
| 8 | Nonroadway noncollision incident | 1 |
Where injuries happen most
Retail trade accounts for 23% of these severe back injuries, as you may frequently handle heavy inventory. Health care and manufacturing also show high risk levels, where the physical demands of patient repositioning and repetitive lifting of heavy product trays often lead to acute disc failure.
Real cases like yours
These reports show a clear pattern of injury occurring during standard physical tasks, such as repositioning patients, lifting heavy containers, or bending to pick up items. If your injury happened during a routine work task and resulted in a diagnosed disc disorder, an attorney can help you review the specific circumstances of your incident to determine if your employer failed to provide necessary safety equipment or training.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | TX | Health Care | "An employee assisted with repositioning a patient in bed using a drawsheet. After repositioning the patient, the employee felt lower back pain and had weakness in her legs. The employee sustained a herniated disc." | |
| 2025 | MA | Manufacturing | "An employee was entering an area while carrying a tray containing 20 pounds of product. A plastic curtain came into contact with the employee's shoulder; the employee suffered a herniated disc while dislodging the curtain." | |
| 2025 | NH | Accommodation & Food Services | "An employee was lifting a frying basket out of a fryer when they felt a pop in their back. The employee was hospitalized with a herniated disc." | |
| 2025 | MA | Health Care | "An employee slipped on the mopped floor and fell. The employee was hospitalized with lower back pain and a bulging lumbar disc." | |
| 2025 | FL | Manufacturing | "An employee had bent down to pick up two 80-ounce pans of cheesecake. When the employee stood up, they felt a pop in their back, and they were hospitalized with a back injury." | |
| 2025 | SD | Health Care | "An employee was performing laundry duties when she heard a pop in her back. The employee was hospitalized with a bulging disc that required surgery." | |
| 2025 | CT | Other Services | "An employee was working to put a dog in a kennel. The dog pulled hard on the employee, causing a lumbar disc herniation and severe back pain. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery." | |
| 2025 | NM | Public Administration | "On May 1, 2025, at approximately 11:00 AM, an employee was jump-starting the battery of a forklift and his back went out while he was bending down. The employee was hospitalized with a slipped disc and required surgery." | |
| 2025 | PA | Wholesale Trade | "An employee was wrapping pallets using a plastic wrap dispenser when he felt a pop in his back along with a burning and stabbing sensation. The employee sustained the herniation of discs L4 and L5. " | |
| 2025 | FL | Wholesale Trade | "An employee suffered a back injury while loading shingles on a roof. The employee was hospitalized, requiring surgery for a bulging disc in the lower back." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.