Illinois Workers' Compensation Attorneys Blog

Injuries can happen at anytime to anyone. It's important to understand your injury, including what type of injury it is, its cause and your options for treating it. For example, meniscus tears are when the discs that cushion your knee either on the outer or inner edge are torn. These discs balance your weight across your knee and therefore keep your knee steady; when one of these discs have a tear, your knee may not work correctly. A meniscus tear is usually caused by twisting or turning quickly with the foot planted.

There are three possible types of meniscus tears, all with their own symptoms.

1. Minor Tear - slight pain and swelling which usually goes away within 2-3 weeks.
2. Moderate Tear - pain at the side or center of your knee with swelling that gets worse over 2-3 days. There may be a sharp pain when you twist your knee or squat - these symptoms go away in 1-2 weeks but can come back if you twist or overuse your knee. The pain may even come and go for years if the tear is not treated.
3. Severe Tear - knee may catch, pop or lock due to pieces of the torn meniscus moving in the joint space. Your knee may also give way without warning and/or feel wobbly. It may swell and become stiff right after the injury or within 2-3 days.

After your doctor examines and diagnoses your injury, there are several treatment options that your doctor will discuss with you.

-Rest, Ice, Wrapping knee
-Physical therapy
-Surgery

If the injury that lead to your meniscus tear occurred at work, or if your symptoms are worsened by activities required by your job, then you may have a claim for workers compensation. Please contact your Illinois Work Injury Attorney for more information.

Dealing with medical appointments, figuring out your best treatment options, trying to get by now that you are out of work and deciphering complicated workers' compensation laws is stressful and may feel nearly impossible. A workers' compensation attorney can help you with all of those issues.

In workers' compensation cases, the role of attorney is more than just going to court and negotiating with insurance companies. A workers' compensation attorney can:

-assist in getting you Temporary Total Disability Benefit
-help you find highly trained doctors
-discuss your medical treatment options
-helping you become vocationally trained in a new career

These are just some examples of the help you can receive from an attorney if you've been injured at work. Contact your Illinois Work Injury Attorney for more information about available help.

There are times when an employee is injured at work, applies for workers' compensation and their employer complies and provides the benefit. However, there are also times when an injured employee asks for workers' compensation benefits and is denied. When this happens, the injured employee should hire an attorney.

Hiring an attorney can be very beneficial. For example, in a 2010 case in front of the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission, an attorney was able to get an injured employee temporary total disability benefits, medical expenses paid for and permanent partial disability benefit. In that case, an employee injured his shoulder in 2006 but returned to work in 2007. However, the symptoms returned and the employee had surgery in the fall of 2007. Together, the employee and his attorney convinced the arbitrator that the injury was related to the work accident in 2006. They used medical evidence and credible testimony of the employee to show that, although the employee returned to work and did not have a formal work status slip/note in a medical file, his shoulder injury was connected to his work.

This case proves that absence of formal works status slips does not bar workers' compensation benefits from being awarded. This is especially true when there is other corroborating evidence to show that the injury was connected to employment. To ensure an effective presentation of the corroborating evidence, an injured employee should hire an attorney. Contact your Illinois Work Injury Attorney for questions.

Case Cite: Eisenhour v. Kreitner Construction Co. Inc., 18 ILWCLB 120 (Ill. W.C. Comm. 2010)

You might be wrong about your back pain. Back pain is not always a result of aging. Sometimes, back pain is due to an injury received on the job, meaning you are eligible for workers' compensation benefits. The most common back injury resulting from work place injuries is a herniated disc. As we age, our ligaments and discs age and degenerate making us more susceptible to injury. Injuries to our aging backs can be caused by lifting, twisting or bending.

Although easily injured, herniated disc and back injuries are rarely easily fixed and result in numerous painful and uncomfortable symptoms.

Common symptoms include:
-pain in the lower back
-radiating or shooting pain down the leg or the arms
-increased pain upon standing or sitting
-numbness
-tingling

If you've experienced any of these symptoms and think it could possibly be related to a work injury, you should contact your medical doctor. Additionally, your Illinois Work Injury Attorney can help you figure out your options.

To be eligible for workers' compensation benefits, your injury must be work related. Many situations that seem to not be work related are often still covered, your Illinois Work Injury Attorney can help determine if you have a claim.

Here are a few types of scenarios that are work related:
-Injured while doing something for the benefit of your employer
-Injured while on the company's premise (ex. sprained ankle due to a fall in the cafeteria)
-Injuries at company events (ex. strained neck due to a fall at a fundraiser)
-Car accident while commuting in a company car; accident while driving your own car to meet a client
-Injuries as a result of not following safety rules at work are often still covered
-Mental conditions as a result of witnessing a trauma at work or due to a stressful environment

If you think you fit into one of these categories or are uncertain if you have a claim, contact your Illinois Work Injury Attorney.

An injury that happens due to work activities or occurs at the work place may be covered by workers' compensation benefits. This means that a sudden injury like an ankle sprain or a twisting of the back that results in a herniated disc may be covered. Additionally, an injury as a result of repeated use, like carpal tunnel, is also covered.

Although herniated discs and carpal tunnel syndrome are the most common work related injuries, many others are also covered. For example, strains due to falls at the work place or lifting objects on the job result in a workers' compensation claim. One of the important rules in determining whether you have a workers' compensation claim is: if you're injured on the job, at the workplace or as a result of your work then you most likely have a compensation claim. Also, if you become either physically or mentally ill due to conditions at work then you also have a compensation claim. Using that basic rule will help you determine if you have a claim, however the best rule is always to call your Illinois Work Injury Attorney to be sure you do not miss out on a workers' compensation benefit.

There are several types of workers' compensation benefits: medical, rehabilitation, disability and death benefits. The category you fit into depends on your situation and the best way to figure it out is to contact your Illinois Work Injury Attorney.

- Medical benefits under workers' compensation are designed to cover diagnosis and treatment of an injury or illness related to work.
- Rehabilitation benefits often pay for therapeutic care, like physical therapy after a back injury. Rehabilitation benefits may also cover services necessary to help you cope and recover.
- Disability benefits compensate for lost wages while your injury made it impossible for you to work. There are different categories within disability benefits ranging from temporary to permanent and partial to total disability. Please contact your Illinois Work Injury Attorney for more information.
- Death benefits are for people related to a deceased worker and who were financially dependent on that person.

The categories of workers' compensation benefits are complicated. Even if you don't think you fit into any of these descriptions, you should still contact your Illinois Work Injury Attorney.

If you are injured while at work, regardless of whose fault it is, you may have a right to compensation. Workers' compensation is a state-mandated insurance program that provides compensation to employees who suffer job related injuries. Common job related injuries include herniated disc, carpal tunnel and other strains.

Herniated discs can be caused by repeated stress, lifting and violent twisting. Carpal tunnel is frequently caused by repeated use of the wrist and can result in pain and weakness in the hand.

If anything at work has caused you injury or illness then you may be qualified for some type of compensation. Contact your Illinois Work Injury Attorney to find out what options you have.

Injuries at work can happen to anyone, not just the heavy laborers. Even injuries like herniated discs which are normally associated with lifting heavy objects can happen to anyone. A herniated disc can be caused by any type of intense pressure. In fact, herniated discs are most commonly caused by:

-a fall or accident
-repeated strain
-a sudden strain on the back from lifting or twisting

The most important symptom that signals the possibility of a herniated disc is pain. Other symptoms include tingling sensation, numbness and radiating pain. Keep in mind that herniated discs can happen anywhere along the back or in the neck and sometimes the pain does not begin immediately after an injury.

If you think you have a herniated disc related to a work activity, contact your Illinois Work Injury Attorney.

Your work conditions may make you more susceptible to injuries that deserve compensation. For example, in a 2009 decision, the Commission awarded permanent partial disability benefits to a correctional officer because the nature of his job put him at risk for certain injuries more so than the general public. In that case, the correctional officer spent most of his time standing, walking and climbing stairs with an extra 5 pounds of equipment on a concrete floor. The Commission found that this work activity increased the stress on the officer's foot including aggravating a preexisting condition.

How does this affect you? Your working conditions and required work activities impact your body. Work activities can cause new injuries or aggravate old ones. Common injuries like herniated discs, back pain and carpal tunnel can all be caused by everyday work activities. For example, sitting at a desk for long periods of time, lifting heavy objects or typing on a keyboard can injure you.

If you have questions about your work conditions and how it relates to your injury, please contact your Illinois Work Injury Attorney.