Vermont CRPS Injury Lawyer
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is an extremely painful condition that can cost thousands of dollars to treat and prevent people from working. In the vast majority of CRPS cases, the condition is brought on by some physical trauma, such as a work accident. Employers and their workers’ comp insurers don’t like to see a CRPS diagnosis, because they know the condition is expensive to treat and the worker might be out of commission for an extended period. They will therefore put up a lot of roadblocks to a workers’ comp claim involving CRPS, disputing the diagnosis or the treatment, arguing over the severity of the condition, or even denying that it is work-related. Any one of these tactics can prove fatal to your workers’ compensation claim.
At Sluka Law, we understand that CRPS is very real, painful and debilitating. We’ll help you deal with your CRPS diagnosis by building a strong case that proves your compensable injury so you can get the medical care and treatment you need, along with the appropriate wage replacement benefits when you are disabled from working. Compensation for workplace injuries is a promise made by the state of Vermont to its workers. Our Vermont CRPS lawyers fight to see that you get what you are owed when you are hurting from a workplace accident or other traumatic work-related event.
What Is CRPS?
CRPS remains a somewhat mysterious illness. It is found to arise after physical trauma about 90% of the time, although the misery suffered can be far out of proportion to the underlying injury, which contributes to the skepticism and workers’ comp claim denials regarding CRPS. The condition most often occurs in workers between 40 and 60 years old and seems to afflict women more than men. It is most often localized to an extremity in the body, such as a hand, foot or leg. Sadly, CRPS has been described as inflicting some of the most extreme pain that people suffer, and the condition is often chronic and can spread to other body parts.
CRPS is generally diagnosed through the differential diagnosis process. Symptoms associated with CRPS could also indicate other conditions such as arthritis, neuropathy, muscle disorders or even Lyme disease. Once these afflictions are ruled out, doctors will often land on a CRPS diagnosis.
As noted above, CRPS usually follows some sort of physical trauma as can happen in a workplace accident. CRPS has been known to follow a fracture or arise after a broken arm or leg has been immobilized in a cast for several weeks, or following surgery. CRPS can also come about after less traumatic injuries, including soft tissue injuries such as sprains or strains, cuts or bruises, or burns. An accidental needle stick that strikes a nerve, as can often happen to nurses and medical assistants in healthcare, could also create CRPS.
Workers’ Comp Should Cover CRPS
No one expects to wind up with CRPS, because it’s not the type of result that is usually expected or experienced after an injury. In the normal course of an injury, you receive treatment and you heal, either wholly or partially. You don’t expect to be left with a whole other set of symptoms to deal with. A workers’ compensation lawyer has to work with the doctors and understand the medical literature and case law to prove that CRPS comes from a work injury and is compensable by workers’ comp. As an attorney with almost 20 years of experience representing employers, insurance companies, and employees in workers’ compensation cases, Justin Sluka has the deep knowledge needed to build a powerful case and to navigate the workers’ compensation system on behalf of his clients when their claims are disputed or denied.
Get Help Today With Your Vermont Workers’ Compensation CRPS Claim
If you were injured at work and have since developed a painful CRPS diagnosis, call Sluka Law for help getting workers’ compensation coverage for your condition. Treatments for CRPS are available, and you deserve to have those medical costs covered and receive wage replacement or disability benefits if your CRPS keeps you from working. For help with workers’ compensation claims throughout Vermont, call Sluka Law for a free consultation at 802-457-1000.
