It just occurred to me. I would have more then likely be working pain-free for quite some time if I hadn't gone the workers' comp route a year and a half ago. If I had kept my mouth shut and used my money to go to specialists and therapists, I would have more than likely gotten the care I needed to get over stupid tendonitis. And I'd have more income and a life. I understand the system has been taken advantage of, but now I think its so stingy and unsympathetic that help is often too little too late. I am sorry for the rant. I'm just so mad!!!!

Yeah I know what you mean,
if I was taken off work & had good PT/chiro care at the very beginning - I think I would have recovered and got back to 80 % of normal.
Instead they played the "try to keep the employee" working as long as possible game -And then the denial/delay game.

Getting PT while still having to work full time just didn't cut it - whatever good was done during PT got undone just by driving to work.

For me it worked out that good PT / chiro and finally being off work really helped with my recovery. I did a lot of healing type stuff at home too.
But I'm only at about 60% of my pre injury fitness/strength level and that goes downhill after a week or so of repetitious, heavy or continuous use. On the upside I only have minor discomfort unless I really overdo and don't do my stretches and stuff to get things loosened up again.

I haven't returned to the work force yet though - one main reason being I'm kind of afraid of ending up aggravating things.

But depending on how bad the injury/pain is at the start - some just have to follow through with the wc system all the way.

You are absolutely right, thursday! Often there is so much discussion over what treatments to authorize, and which ones to limit, that the purpose of offering medical care under worker's compensation gets lost! And that occurs well after the whole argument over whether or not the injury happened on the job for too many injured workers! Furthermore, claimants tend to forget that they pay part of the premiums for this insurance coverage. Even in the most restrictive and controlling states, I believe it is still possible to get a decent outcome if you are a smart patient. However, that all too often comes with hindsight. Most of us have not been down the injury road before we are faced with a million things at once when we are hurt on the job. . . not the least of which is fear for one's job.

Yes Thursday, you are so right. I am a PT, and I feel that if they had let me be off for a month instead of making me do office work my injury would have resolved long ago. I even asked for a month leave of absense with no pay, which they refused. I knew the modified duty was making it worse(neck injury). How they could trust me to care for others but give me no input on my own care was disheartening. The system didn't work for me.

Take care, Diana

I think of that often.....if my TOS pain was dealt with promptly would it still have developed into RSD ?

But instead, they just wanted to label me a drug seeker. I was a hospice nurse. I worked the evening shift, so I went to do the pronouncements for people who passed away during the evening. Part of that job included dumping the unused narcotics. If I had no morals (and no concern for my license) I could have had an unlimited supply of morphine. They really think I would give that up to fight for 2 years for a few Vicodin ? Geesh !

I feel ya Finz!! For me, I don't see how getting 2/3 of minimum wage can look like I am sponging off my company. Life ain't so posh when yr scrounging up loose change to buy instant ramen. There's no way I'd choose to stay home instead of work. I don't know how the WC people could doubt me. Mathmatically, it makes no sense.