Our knees are essential to our daily mobility, but what should be done when you injury them and you need to work? Before we answer this let’s take a look at what causes pain on our knees:
The anatomy of the knee, the body’s largest joint, is particularly complex because it merges the thigh bone, kneecap and shin bone. Some knee pain may originate from the fact that sometimes the kneecap isn’t properly aligned. But many cases are prompted by overuse of the knees due to lifestyle activities. Another factor can be the added weight on your body due to mismanagement of weight. Remember, for each pound of weight, knees feel the force of six pounds of pressure, regardless of the surface that you are walking on. Genetics may also be looked into as a factor.
Luckily there are some ways to relieve knee pain at home. These are the following:
Assess your daily routine and observe what triggers the pain. You may want to consider slowing down on that activity.
If the knee is in pain, rest. Do not strain the knee with additional weight. Do cold or hot compress several times a day to relieve pain and reduce inflammation.
While you are resting, do elevate your knees and if pain persists you can always seek the aid of Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drug drugs like ibuprofen or naproxen to help reduce pain and swelling.
So what happens when you get a knee injury at work?
Honestly, depending on the injury recovery might be slow and difficult. This means the limited movement for you and a constant visit to your therapy or even surgery will be required. When you have been injured from work your employer has the responsibility to provide the medical treatment you need via the worker’s compensation.
On top of this, you must seek the assessment of your doctor regarding your stability to be able to go back to your regular work. If your doctor will issue a “no work status”, then you almost certainly mustn’t be working.
The worker’s compensation insurance underwriter should be paying you temporary total disability benefits while you are unable to do your work. If your doctor says that you just can work without restrictions and you are feeling capable of doing that furthermore, then do so.
But remember, the aw doesn’t require that your employer give you a light-weight duty job. If your employer doesn’t provide you with a light-weight duty job, the worker’s compensation insurance firm should pay you temporary total disability benefits. If you refuse an appropriate light duty job offer from your employer, your weekly worker’s compensation check may well be suspended. If this happens, getting your check restarted is also difficult. You also have to realize the special rules that apply once you attempt a lightweight duty job. These rules affect whether your benefits will automatically be restarted if you attempt to take on the light-duty job but then again cannot perform it.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
