A shoulder or knee injury can put you out of commission for even the most basic tasks of daily living. In some cases, you can’t stand or walk, you can’t drive, you can’t dress yourself, and you certainly can’t work. Whether the treatment for your shoulder or knee injury involves surgery or physical therapy, one thing is certain: rest is essential to healing. Buzzell, Welsh & Hill helps injured workers get the medical care and treatment and wage loss benefits they need after an injury on the job has laid them up. Employers and their insurers want to dispute or downplay your injury so they don’t have to pay your claim, or they want to rush you back to work before you are ready. Our workers’ compensation team can help. Call our shoulder & knee work injury attorneys today.
Work-Related Shoulder Injuries
Employees who constantly have to stretch their arms and reach overhead to perform their duties or who regularly lift heavy objects or work with heavy machinery during the day are most at risk of a shoulder injury. However, a shoulder injury can also happen in a one-time trauma, such as reaching to catch a falling object, being slammed into the wall after being struck by a moving vehicle or swinging object, or falling from a height and landing hard on the shoulder.
Common shoulder injuries requiring medical treatment and time off from work include:
- Torn rotator cuff
- Dislocated shoulder
- Separated shoulder
- Tendinitis
- Fracture/broken collarbone
- Frozen shoulder
- Torn cartilage
- Torn labrum
- Impingement syndrome
- Bursitis
Depending upon whether the injury involves a sprain, strain, bruise, tear or break, treatment can range from rest and medication to physical therapy to surgery or replacement of the shoulder joint.
Knee Injuries on the Job
A knee injury in the workplace is most likely to happen if you slip or trip and fall and land on the knee, if you slip without falling and twist the knee, if you fall from a height, or in a car or truck accident on the job. In addition to these single traumatic events, jobs that require you to frequently bend, squat, kneel or lift heavy objects can also cause degeneration of cartilage and tissue in the knee. As with shoulder injuries, knee injury treatment can range from rest and pain relievers up to and including surgery or knee replacement.
Common workplace knee injuries include:
- ACL sprain, strain or tear
- Torn PCL
- Worn or torn Meniscus
- Fracture
- Dislocation
- Bursitis
- Tendinitis
We Fight for Your Rights to Workers’ Compensation
It sometimes seems like there’s no win when dealing with a shoulder or knee injury workers’ compensation claim. For soft tissue injuries like strains and sprains, the insurance company will say you don’t need any medical treatment or time off at all. If the injury involves a tear or broken bone, then they’ll argue with you over what kind of treatment you need. In either case, they are likely to say your injury happened outside of work, like from playing sports, getting into a car accident, or slipping and falling. They either want to turn down your claim altogether, limit the treatment you get, or limit the time you can spend off work.
Buzzell, Welsh & Hill is on your side and looking out for your best interests. We understand that you need medical care and time off to heal and recover, and we are ready to take on the challenging task of proving your injury was work-related, even if it involves the aggravation of a pre-existing injury or degenerative disease. Workers’ compensation exists to protect the injured worker, and Buzzell, Welsh & Hill exists to protect you.
Contact Buzzell, Welsh & Hill Today
After an accident, injury or illness at work, the workers’ compensation attorneys at Buzzell, Welsh & Hill will see to it that you get the right medical care and the right level of benefits that meet your needs. Call our experienced shoulder & knee work injury lawyers today.
