Be 100% honest with your doctor in describing your job activities
We represent a lot of people that have repetitive trauma injuries like carpal tunnel, De Quervain's tenosynovitis and herniated discs in your back or neck. Unlike a specific accident such as slipping on a wet floor or lifting a box and feeling a pop in your back, repetitive trauma injuries don't always have a specific date that you can point to as when your problem started. Most people notice some pain and try to work there way through it or assume it will go away.
Illinois workers' compensation law states that the accident date for repetitive trauma injuries is the date you knew or reasonably should have known that you had the injury and it was related to your job duties. Reasonable minds can disagree on that and many injured workers in Illinois have lost their case over that issue.
If you suspect that your job may have played a role in contributing to your injury it is important that you are 100% honest with your doctor about what your job duties involve. Doctors are there to treat the injury. Many won't make a comment about whether or not the injury is work related unless you ask. When you do ask be very descriptive about what your duties involve. In other words make clear how many hours a day you type, how often you are lifting heavy objects and what they way, how many parts you move an hour on an assembly line, etc. The more descriptive that you are the better the chance that your doctor will understand the true role your work activities played in your injury occurring.
In almost every injury that occurs from repetitive work, we can not win your case unless you have a doctor that is in your corner. The doctor must state that your job either caused, aggravated OR accelerated your condition. When you give a crystal clear description of your job duties that really paints a picture of what you do, it is likely that your doctor will give the right answer.
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.
