One of the most frustrating aspects of an Illinois workers’ compensation case is not recovering as quickly as you would like. Most injured workers I come across just want to get healthy and back to their job.

The longer it takes for you to get better, the more frustrating it can become. And that can lead to secondary issues. According to a recent study by the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute, there are widespread psychological issues related to on the job injuries to the knee or shoulder. And it’s attributed to “poor functional recovery” which is another way of saying you can’t do what you used to do.

Some of the psychological stress issues result in problems like:

  • A fear of movement
  • Mood swings
  • Poor coping skills
  • General anxiety

These are legitimate psychological injuries and as many as 46% of injured workers have reported these feelings after a shoulder or knee injury. This is after looking at 65,000 cases across the United States over a four year period.

The silver lining, for Illinois workers, is that if you do suffer mental anguish from a work related injury, if you choose to seek mental health treatment it should be covered as part of your claim. That is because under Illinois law, any injury that extends from the original injury is considered part of the same case.

In other words, if you would not have had this mental stress or breakdown without the work accident, then you are entitled to make work comp pay for your care.

And the reality is that it is best for everyone if you get this taken care of. If you you have a fear of movement and need to return to a job that risks re-aggravating your knee or shoulder (or whatever body part is hurt), it is safer for you and your co-workers to have these issues addressed.

By the way, even though this study focused on knee and shoulder injuries, this general principle applies to ANY work related injuries in Illinois. It is very common to see a mental breakdown after having a serious back or neck injury for example, especially among those who have long term pain. We also see a lot of PTSD from people who have had to undergo surgery.

The bottom line is you are not alone and do not have to suffer silently. What you do need to do is mention these issues to your attorney so they can assist you in getting mental health benefits approved. It is regrettably a law that insurance companies do not always follow. Your attorney can assist in getting your regular doctor to give a proper referral for you.

If you have any questions or want a free case review, we help injured workers everywhere in Illinois. Please call us in confidence at 312-346-5578.