It was a busy day at a local manufacturing facility when a seasoned worker felt something wasn’t quite right. He had been pulling out a piece of equipment when he suddenly felt a sharp pull and heard a pop in his left shoulder. He froze for a moment, worried. While he could still move his arm, lifting it to the side or above his head was painful.
Shortly after he reported the incident, OHS was on its way to the site. Our team is always ready to bring care directly to workers when injuries occur. Onsite medical care not only saves employees time and stress but also minimizes disruptions for the company. Today, we were there to help both the worker, and the business handle this injury efficiently.
After listening to the worker’s story, we conducted a thorough examination right on the worksite. The shoulder’s range of motion was normal for flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction. Internal and external rotations showed no issues, and his rotator cuff was intact, with all tests coming back negative. We pinpointed tenderness in the coracobrachialis muscle—a muscle key to lifting and moving the arm. Thankfully, the biceps were unaffected, confirming there was no structural damage.
Our assessment: a coracobrachialis muscle strain, meaning he’d pulled a muscle, but there was no reason he couldn’t continue working. We showed him some targeted stretches for pain relief and suggested a dose of ibuprofen as needed. He felt reassured and ready to return to his duties, confident that we were just a call away if he needed further help.
For the company, this immediate onsite care prevented a recordable injury and kept a valuable team member on the job without a hitch. Our follow-up plan meant that the nursing team would monitor his recovery, keeping everyone on track.
This case became a testament to the power of proactive, onsite care. We helped one patient recover comfortably and confidently without leaving his worksite, while the company avoided the ripple effects of a recordable injury. It was a small, impactful story of recovery and the value of occupational health delivered right where it’s needed.
