Work-related tasks can lead to repetitive stress and cumulative trauma injuries. If you've suffered either of these injuries, please consider giving our law firm a call for a free case analysis at 1-800-752-0042.

Watch your back when doing your job...literally. A study conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reveals "strong evidence of an association between MSDs [musculoskeletal disorders] and certain work-related physical factors."

The body part most adversely affected was the back. Sixty-five percent of lifting injuries affected the back, 52 percent of pushing or pulling injuries affected the back, and 58 percent of injuries from holding, carrying, or turning objects affected the back.

The study didn't go so far as to say work-related tasks were a direct cause of MSDs, but did say the evidence contributed to the understanding of a "relationship between workplace risk factors and MSDs."

Essentially, this means you can't say, "If you perform this task, you will definitely develop an MSD." However, there are risks associated with these tasks.

This shouldn't come as a major surprise. In 2001, a panel of doctors and researchers went before Congress and said one million people lose time from work each year due to MSDs. These disorders "impose a substantial economic burden in compensation costs, lost wages, and productivity. Conservative cost estimates vary, but a reasonable figure is about $50 billion annually in work-related costs-a figure representing approximately 1 percent of GDP."

Railroad workers should be especially cognizant of this information. A railroad worker's daily tasks can be extremely taxing physically and puts these individuals at an even higher risk for developing an MSD than someone, let's say, working for the post office or at a paper mill.

Our firm regularly handles FELA cases for railroad trackmen, engineers, and conductors who hurt their backs on the job at Amtrak, Norfolk Southern and CSX. Sometimes these accidents happen on one day in one particular traumatic event and other times it is a cumulative process of micro-trauma from repetitive tasks over time. Either way, injured railroad workers need lawyers who know the medical literature to prove the claim.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a law firm which focuses on injury and accident law and we have experience handling FELA and general railroad injury cases. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Our primary office in based in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA). Our lawyers hold licenses in NC, SC, WV, KY and DC and have handled hundreds of railroad injury and FELA cases. We would like to send you one of our FREE reports about railroad injury and FELA cases, including the Do's and Don'ts When Injured at a Railroad - The Railroad Workers FELA Rights and What Railroad Claim Agents Agents Won't Tell You (But You Must Know). We are ready to talk to you by phone right now-we provide free initial confidential injury case consultations, so call us toll free at 1-800-752-0042. Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube . Furthermore, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service.

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How can you identify a top Virginia injury lawyer for your case? Look no further.

Our VA personal injury lawyers have been selected for many accolades.

Two of the attorneys with our Virginia Beach accident injury law firm, James Lewis and Rick Shapiro, have been named the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Two of our VA injury lawyers -- Lewis and Shapiro - have been named to Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury since 2010. In addition, Lewis and Shapiro have been selected for inclusion in the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009. 

Our VA accident injury law firm was the first in the commonwealth nvited to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Rick Shapiro was named as one of the Top 100 Injury Lawyers in Virginia by the National Trial Lawyers Association.

In October, 2000 our law firm and co-counsel obtained what was then the largest verdict in Virginia's history for an injured person. Our brain damaged client received an initial award of $46 million that rose to $60 million with interest when the defendant abandoned an appeal and agreed to settle. 

Geographical Areas

Our personal injury lawyers handle personal injury cases throughout the eastern USA, and work closely with lawyers in other states on signficant injury cases.

In Virginia, this includes Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News, Suffolk, Richmond, Petersburg, Roanoke, Salem, Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Fredericksburg, Charlottesville, Ashland, Big Stone Gap, and every community on the Eastern Shore, including Accomack, Onancock, Chincoteauge, Wachapreague, and Cape Charles, Bloxom, Eastville, Exmore, Greenbackville, Machipongo, Mappsville, Melfa, Nassawadox, Onley, Tangier, Temperanceville, Wachapreague and Wallops Island.

In West Virginia, we can handle personal injury claims in Bluefield, Beckley, Bridgeport, Charles Town, Charleston, Fairmont, Huntington, Lewisburg, Madison, Martinsburg, Morgantown, Moundsville, Parkersburg, Ripley, Sutton, Weirton, Wheeling and any other town or county.

Injury Lawyers licensed in VA, WV, North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), Kentucky (KY), Florida (FL) and Washington, DC.