Everyone knows the phrase adding “insult to injury.” For some injured workers, it could mean getting stuck with chronic, debilitating pain, long after their initial injury has healed. Unfortunately, since the causes of chronic pain are not completely understood, injured workers can face an uphill battle in getting the treatment and compensation they need.
Workers’ compensation is supposed to provide coverage for all reasonable and necessary treatment. However, many employers and insurers will argue that treatment for chronic pain does not meet this standard. Because of this workers’ compensation claims for chronic pain treatment are often denied.
If you are suffering from chronic pain caused by a work-related injury or illness, you don’t have the time or energy to deal with bureaucracy. You just want the workers’ compensation benefits you’re owed, and we can help. At Joye Law Firm, our South Carolina workers’ compensation attorneys will fight for the treatment you deserve. Since 1968, our firm has advocated on behalf of injured workers, even when employers and insurers try to unfairly deny coverage. We have successfully helped thousands of injured, including those suffering from chronic pain.
Contact our firm today for a free evaluation of your chronic pain workers’ compensation case. We will help you understand your options. If you hire our firm, we will get started on your case with no upfront fees. You only pay us if we recover compensation for you. With offices in Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Clinton, and Summerville, we serve injured workers across South Carolina. Plus, if you can’t come to us, we’ll come to you.
Understanding Chronic Pain
After a work-related injury, some people may continue to suffer from chronic pain even after they have reached maximum medical improvement (MMI). MMI is the point at which no further treatment is expected to improve a patient’s condition.
Chronic pain is often defined as pain that lasts at least three months from the initial onset of symptoms and cannot be resolved by multiple forms of treatment or palliative care. Chronic pain may be attributed to a variety of conditions, outlined below.
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
This condition can cause chronic pain in a person’s neck, back, or extremities that can last for months, years, or even a lifetime.
CRPS comes in one of two forms:
- CRPS-1, also known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, arises from injuries and damage to soft tissues such as skin, tendons, ligaments, and muscles. Injuries like burns, strains, and tears can cause CRPS-1. These injuries can lead to chronic conditions like bursitis, arthritis, or tendonitis.
- CRPS-2, also called causalgia, is caused by an injury to a major nerve grouping. This damage usually stems from a traumatic force—such as a car crash, fall, or penetrating wound. The condition can begin immediately or develop months after an injury occurs..
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a condition characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory, and mood issues. Fibromyalgia affects the way the brain processes pain signals, leading to amplified painful sensations affecting the entire body.
The exact cause of fibromyalgia is still unknown, but it often appears after physical trauma, surgery, infection, or significant psychological stress. In other cases, symptoms gradually accumulate over time without a single triggering event.
Neuropathic Pain
Neuropathic pain arises from damaged or dysfunctional nerves. An injury disrupts the normal nerve function either within the peripheral or central nervous system. This sends pain signals to the brain unprompted. Victims might describe this pain as a burning, shooting, or stabbing sensation.
Common causes include traumatic injuries, infections, surgery, and conditions like diabetes. Neuropathic pain is particularly challenging to manage because it does not respond well to standard pain treatment methods.
Myofascial Pain
Myofascial pain syndrome is a chronic pain disorder in which pressure on sensitive points in your muscles (trigger points) causes pain in seemingly unrelated parts of your body. This is known as referred pain. It often originates from specific muscle or fascial strains, and can result from repetitive motions or muscle stress.
Symptoms include persistent pain or tenderness in a muscle, along with a noticeable knot in the muscle which can affect the muscle’s functionality and motion.
Chronic Post-Surgical Pain
Chronic post-surgical pain (CPSP) is pain that persists beyond the typical healing time following surgery. The pain may stem from the surgical site or affect areas not directly associated with the surgical site.
Factors contributing to CPSP include pre-surgical pain, the type and extent of surgery, acute postoperative pain intensity, and psychological factors such as anxiety or depression. This type of pain can be particularly disheartening to patients who expect relief from their original condition through surgery.