Answer

Topic 4: Workplace Injury – Back Pain

Question 1

Outline the context and give a brief description of the health issues for the person (this is determined mostly by the scenario you are developing).

My Response

Occupational back injury seems to have resulted in both physical and psychological implications. The key physical impact in this case is the back pain. On the other hand, back pain and other additional issues such as being forced to stay out of work for 4 months and being unable to carry out activities of daily living as well as sleep difficulties may have resulted in psychological implications. The patient should be assessed for depression due to newly observed behavior in which she tends to avoid socialization or her refusal to access services. In addition, since she has been experiencing constant back pain for 4 month despite undergoing alternating Meloxicam and Panadol therapy seems to be ineffective in this case. The patient requires counseling to help her cope with the changes and its implications. Lastly, but not the least, the extent and the nature of the sustained back injury should be properly investigated to inform proper treatment.

Question 2

Describe (succinctly and briefly) the underlying pathophysiology and symptomatology the person may experience (this can be given in points on your poster) associated with the chronic condition.

My Response

Chronic back pain due to back injury and other implications seems to have contributed to development of depression. The patient may have experienced spinal cord injury since she presents with tale symptoms such as constant back pain and the inability to conduct her activities of daily living. Spinal cord injury causes various symptoms such as bowel incontinence, bladder incontinence, paralysis of the upper and/or lower limbs, and chronic pain. The above symptoms of spinal cord injury may have significant social and psychological effects, which may affect the functioning of the affected person, which in this case may have caused depression and social self-interest (Fuseini, Aniteye, & Alhassan, 2019). Stress due to inability to carry out activities of daily living and having to stay out of work may have contributed to development of depression (Wang et al., 2014). Depression may due to use of meloxicam. Meloxicam may cause side effects such as depression, confusion, dizziness, insomnia, back pain, and anxiety (Prescribers’ Digital Reference, 2019). Apart from stopping for use of Meloxicam therapy due to the potential side effects, paracetamol (panadol) should be stopped due to risks associated with its long term use. Paracetamol may cause fatal brain, kidney, and liver damage. In addition, paracetamol may cause cognitive effects such as sleepiness or euphoria; which have important implications in this case (Sharma & Mehta, 2014).