Threaded Mode | Linear Mode

newenglandchick · 08-21-2011, 04:44 PM

i already explained in my other post. i'm having lower back pains and leg/ft numbness etc. my doctor thinks it is work related and so does my physical therapists. so i am filing for workers comp. i haven't received the paperwork just yet. i was only told i will be contacted somehow shortly.
my issue now is my pain is lessening. i'm not sure if it's from physical therapy or the medications i am on. i'm worried that if nothing comes back in my mri(like the xrays showed nothing wrong) and the pain goes away completely, how in the heck can i prove it's work related??
my doctor did say that chances are with all this going on, i will have these issues all my life. pain goes away for awhile but will come back.
just when i start to feel better that i am doing the smart thing in filing, since i was told it is work related, my pains are lessening. how funny is that!

1171 · 08-21-2011, 05:07 PM

to legally prove causality you submit medical evidence.

jayne · 08-21-2011, 05:21 PM

all it means is PT is working....which is good...

LeglEgl · 08-21-2011, 05:22 PM

If the pain comes and goes for any lengthy period of time, chances are the injury is minor. It could still be a WC claim, at least for medical only.

It's really not unusual for any of us (especially when we get older) to experience degenerative disk disease, which allows for nerve impingement (i.e., sciatica) on occasion.

As a wise Dr. told me once "the urgency and severity of your medical issue is often dictated by how soon your appointment is".

newenglandchick · 08-21-2011, 06:09 PM

(08-21-2011 05:22 PM)LeglEgl Wrote: If the pain comes and goes for any lengthy period of time, chances are the injury is minor. It could still be a WC claim, at least for medical only.

It's really not unusual for any of us (especially when we get older) to experience degenerative disk disease, which allows for nerve impingement (i.e., sciatica) on occasion.

As a wise Dr. told me once "the urgency and severity of your medical issue is often dictated by how soon your appointment is".

thanks. i was finally feeling confident that i was doing the right thing by filing for workers' comp. since my doctor told me it is all from work. now the pain's lessening, i'm thinking... am i going crazy? i sit all day long at a desk 8 hours a day 5 days a week. i'm 27 years old. i have never had back problems before. i have never had any healthy issues other than the common cold/flu. this is first time having these pains. so after it didn't go away for a few days and got worse, i saw a doctor. the only thing the doctor can think of as a cause of all this, is prolonged sitting at work. it made sense to me as well. since sitting is the common denominator of causing the most/worst pain. we aren't allowed to get up and walk around when we want to. only on our breaks are we are allowed out of our seats. i haven't been back to work yet. so i'm curious to see how sitting in their chairs feel on my back. since i'm trying to do my physical therapy "sitting" exercises, pain levels permittting. when i am able to sit for more than 5 minutes now it's on chairs that have ALOT of support in the lumbar area as well as ALOT of padding. our chairs at work don't have either of that. when i do return to work, i will be bringing pillows or whatever i can to better support my back and butt.

LeglEgl · 08-22-2011, 02:59 PM

If you can, get a letter from your Dr. indicating that you must be able to stand and "stretch" or pace a bit periodically because of your back condition. The employer will be required to provide that minimal accommodation. It is not an "undue hardship" on the employer to permit that, and, if they don't, you may want to find a good Employment Attorney who can handle an ADA claim with EEOC.

newenglandchick · 08-23-2011, 12:51 PM

(08-22-2011 02:59 PM)LeglEgl Wrote: If you can, get a letter from your Dr. indicating that you must be able to stand and "stretch" or pace a bit periodically because of your back condition. The employer will be required to provide that minimal accommodation. It is not an "undue hardship" on the employer to permit that, and, if they don't, you may want to find a good Employment Attorney who can handle an ADA claim with EEOC.

my doctor did write a note saying i have to be able to stand w computer etc at eye level. i have sitting then standing exercises to do. now the kicker is the pain was lessening, guess what's back at full? lol
i was hoping i was starting to do better and getting well. woke up monday and ever since then, pain is right back at square 1. i told my phyiscal therapist yesterday, i quit! lol i was gaining hope and now i'm over it. he thought that was a little odd too. mri was today so hopefully there will be something there because this is getting annoying to say the least. we shall see! thanks everyone for the advice. i really need it because i am so lost/confused with all this. i want everything back to normal and it all to go away

LeglEgl · 08-23-2011, 06:02 PM

Well, Chick, that's really not so unusual. There are a lot of moving parts in the spine, and just a mild movement can send things out of whack.

The important thing is, get the medical attention you need. See what the MRI tells the Dr., and go from there. In the meantime, I hope your employer will help accommodate you a bit so you can continue to be a contributory part of the workplace.

Best wishes - let me know.

newenglandchick · 08-27-2011, 10:43 AM

well my mri came back normal. nothing is wrong there. my doctor thinks it is muscle related. i saw the company's doctor the other and was told it isn't work related. i really wasn't surprised they would think so. my doctor said it is going to be near impossible to prove that work caused the muscle problems.
i did find out that i can go see a specialist. my doctor and i find it a little weird that my worst pain is caused by sitting then shoots to my legs. so hopefully a specialist can tell me what is going on. something is causing the sciatica on the right side. i'm not sure if it's the muscles in my lower back or the muscles in my buttocks. physical therapy has been deep tissue massaging my back and butt area(right side mainly). after they do i am able to sit for 30 mins w no pain. then as time/days go by, the time i able to sit before pain starts lowers. i joked and said my therapist needs to be by my side all the time to give me a deep tissue massages. i do all my exercises/stretches i was shown by PT. so i'm not sure why i can sit after the massages but the stretches not so much or that long. hopefully a specialist can assist in what is going on or have an answer.

newenglandchick · 08-27-2011, 10:43 AM

well my mri came back normal. nothing is wrong there. my doctor thinks it is muscle related. i saw the company's doctor the other and was told it isn't work related. i really wasn't surprised they would think so. my doctor said it is going to be near impossible to prove that work caused the muscle problems.
i did find out that i can go see a specialist. my doctor and i find it a little weird that my worst pain is caused by sitting then shoots to my legs. so hopefully a specialist can tell me what is going on. something is causing the sciatica on the right side. i'm not sure if it's the muscles in my lower back or the muscles in my buttocks. physical therapy has been deep tissue massaging my back and butt area(right side mainly). after they do i am able to sit for 30 mins w no pain. then as time/days go by, the time i able to sit before pain starts lowers. i joked and said my therapist needs to be by my side all the time to give me a deep tissue massages. i do all my exercises/stretches i was shown by PT. so i'm not sure why i can sit after the massages but the stretches not so much or that long. hopefully a specialist can assist in what is going on or have an answer.