Injuring your back or neck should never be taken lightly. Getting the proper medical care for your best recovery is vital. When your injury was work-related, safeguarding your right to getting workers’ compensation benefits for that injury can be an important piece of your recovery puzzle. With the high costs of medical care, you want to be sure you receive all the benefits you are entitled to, so you can afford to have all the treatment you are entitled to.
With this in mind, it is important to have a strong medical record detailing the extent of your injury, and any evidence that it was connected to your work. Often the strongest and most credible testimony and evidence for these injuries comes from medical doctors, as opposed to chiropractors. That is not to say that chiropractors don’t perform a valuable healing function; but being under the care of a medical doctor that focuses on neck and back injuries can make a significant difference for you both medically and legally.
In an Illinois workers’ compensation case that was recently decided, the worker showed that merging the two practices proved to be the best of both worlds. She received chiropractic care which helped her condition, and yet sought the opinions and treatment of several other specialists as well.
In this case, the woman performed cleaning services, and had two work injuries in one year. Each time the pain began in her back and neck. She was treated by a chiropractor after each incident. The first time, the treatments allowed her to return to work as usual. After the second injury, she continued the chiropractic care, because it relieved her symptoms, however she saw several other specialists as well.
Wisely, this worker knew, and was advised by her chiropractor, that she should get the care and opinion of medical specialists. She was then able to get pain medication, physical therapy, injections, and an evaluation for surgery. She had a detailed medical record, and several physicians that were able to testify about her condition and that it was related to her work.
The court upheld her workers’ compensation benefits, including the costs of her chiropractic care. The judge supported the workers’ claim that the ongoing chiropractic treatments, while not curing her, were necessary to relieve the pain temporarily.
Neck and back injuries can be very serious, and lead to other complications. It’s very important to get the medical care necessary to be sure you are receiving all the treatments that will lead you to your best recovery. It is also important to help yourself to be able to get the benefits you are legally entitled to, in order to help you get that treatment
We are workers’ compensation attorneys that help people with Illinois work injuries anywhere in IL via our statewide network of attorneys. Contact us and we will answer your questions or find the right lawyer for your situation.