How Orthopedic Surgeons Assess Workplace Injuries for Personal Injury Claims

Injuries can come at you from many different events, from falls to impact from accidents or work, and when you seek legal recourse, you need to understand the severity and nature of the damage. Here’s how we can help.

Going to work to get paid and meet your basic needs is a necessity for everyone. You need to keep you and your family in food, home, and security, but one accident or other unfortunate hazard can compromise your ability to do so. This is a struggle that nearly 3 million Americans in 2022 alone had to face (a rise in injuries from the previous year), and something that millions of us encounter every year.

If you find yourself struggling with the damage from a workplace accident and plan on making a personal injury claim, you’ll need to have it properly diagnosed and cared for, and here’s where we can help. To explain how, we’ll examine common injuries at work, how our orthopedic services can be invaluable, and help you see how we assess these claims.

If you live in the Fort Worth, Texas, area and you’re both recovering from injuries and going through the courts, count on Dr. Joseph Daniels and his medical staff at Southwest Orthopedic Associates to see to your medical needs.

Common workplace injuries

According to the United States Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), the data gathered from 2021 to 2022 indicate that bodily reaction and overexertion have led to the most days away from work, job restriction, or transfer (also known as DART). This includes repetitive motion and non-impact injuries, such as lifting, carrying, pushing, throwing, turning, and holding work materials over and over again.

There are many other common injuries at work, such as being exposed to harmful substances, slips, trips, and falls on the ground or off of a higher level to the ground, or impact injuries from contact with an object or equipment from work.

What orthopedic services can help

Orthopedics is a field of medicine that focuses on the musculoskeletal system and repairing damage done in that area. This means dealing with problems in the bones, ligaments, tendones, muscles and joints of your body, all of which are at risk for injury in the workplace incidents mentioned above.

We specialize in helping you recover from a variety of different injuries and medical problems in your musculoskeletal system, with methods like urgent care, sports medicine, physical therapy, partial or total joint replacement, and regenerative medicine.

How we assess injury claims

As your legal claims are going through the court system, we work with law offices dealing with personal injury cases to help gather information for your case. This covers a lot of data, like the extent of harm you’ve suffered, how long you’re expected to be out of work, and what this injury can mean for your long-term health.

This is done through four essential steps:

Evaluation and documentation

This includes all the information we gather from initial screenings, exams, and tests to assess how badly you’re injured, and documenting everything we determine about your health both for our records and your legal team's needs.

Treatment and recovery

The care you get immediately after coming in, setting up your rehabilitation program, and getting your long-term health prognosis are all part of the treatment and recovery process.

Expert testimony

Through the providing of out-of-court statements about your health (depositions), court testimony about your injuries and their effect on your health now and in the long term, we offer your legal team our medical expertise to make your case.

Legal collaboration

Medical liens are a way we can keep giving you the treatments you need while you go through the legal process, which is a document your attorney provides to allow us payment from the outcome of the case. We also keep up to date with your legal team to make sure they’re aware of any changes, additional needs, or any other pertinent information that may be of some importance.

Anyone can be hurt at work, and sometimes that injury can cost you your livelihood. If you’re getting legal help to get money from this kind of injury, contact Dr. Daniels and Southwest Orthopedic Associates as soon as possible to get diagnosed and treated.