Orthopedists are medical specialists who help to correct bone and muscle deformities such as fractures. They treat the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedists are surgeons who also provide a range of non-surgical medical care. Workers often need the help of orthopedists when they fall, when a body part is crushed (such as in a forklift accident), when something drops on them such as tools from a scaffold, or due to a host of other reasons. In some cases, there is some overlap as between orthopedists and neurosurgeons, most typically in the case of spinal injuries. This is because in addition to bones, the spinal processes that make up the spinal column contain, surround, and protect the spinal cord, which is the main “trunk” or nerve which provides the body with feeling and function. Then again, there are orthopedists who specialize in spinal surgery.
General Injury Articles
The Benefits of Physical Therapy After a Workplace Accident
Most employees who suffer a workplace accident begin their medical treatment with a visit to their local ER. Workers who suffer a spinal cord injury, a traumatic broken injury, compound fractures, and other serious injuries often need immediate surgery. Workers with chronic pain or acute pain often need to visit with a pain management doctor. …
Hand Injuries and Workers’ Compensation
Hand injuries are common in many different types of jobs. Workers who do outside labor such as construction or agricultural work often suffer injuries due to the machines/tools they work with and thy types of tasks they do. Workers who work inside can suffer injuries due to repetitive use. Workers in almost every field from …
When Are Workplace Injuries Not Covered by Workers’ Compensation?
Most people automatically assume if they are injured at work that they’re covered by their state’s workers’ compensation laws. And, for the most part, that’s true. If you slip and fall or suffer some other accident at work, in most cases, you should be covered. If you are loading very heavy items into a cart …
What is Maximum Medical Improvement?
When you’ve been hurt at work, there comes a time when continuing to treat with your doctors doesn’t improve your medical condition. When additional medical treatments won’t improve your medical condition and the healing process is stopped – you’ve reached the point of Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI). This does not mean that you no longer …
CDC Recommendations for Hearing Protection During Your Lifetime
Several doctors published a report on the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2018 explaining how hearing affects workers during their lifetime. Across the globe, one in three people have a measurable loss of hearing. “1.1 billion young persons are at risk for hearing loss attributable to noise exposure.” Some …
Factors in Selecting the Correct Hearing Protection at Work
Many workers, especially those in construction, agriculture, and industry, work in conditions where it is extremely noisy. After months or years of exposure to loud sounds, workers may lose part or all of their hearing. This hearing loss is often covered as an occupational illness under the North Carolina and Virginia workers’ compensation laws. In …
The Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS)
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) developed the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) to characterize occupational injury and illness incidents.” There are been several revisions to the original system. The OICS breaks down workplace injuries and illnesses into the following four categories: Nature of the …
Wounds, Bruises, and Workers Compensation Claims
The Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) of the Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies surface wounds and bruises according to several categories. Surface wounds are a form of traumatic bruise or injury that occur on the surface of the body and “generally do not involve open wounds.” “Generally, a traumatic injury or disorder is …
Workers’ Compensation and Repetitive Stress Injuries
Repetitive stress injuries, according to Medical News Today, can affect most every movable part of your body. They are generally associated with repeating the same task over and over again, vibrations, and forceful exertions. Some of the other names for repetitive stress injury (RSI) are repetitive motion disorder, cumulative motion disorder, repetitive motion injury, occupational …
