Many times when an injury occurs, it can be at first difficult to tell if the injury is due to a work-related accident or due to the person’s pre-existing, degenerative health conditions. In order to make such a determination, there are some key words that crop up which help decipher the nature of the injury.
Here are five of the most common keywords relating to injuries:
Acute – when this term is used in medical reports in regard to torn tendons, the result is often deemed to be work related as a result of lifting or twisting injuries on the job. Such acute tears are able to be identified in an MRI and will show clean edges. These types of tears will be the root of an individual’s pain. In most cases, acute tears will be identified as compensable claims.
Complex tears – typically caused when trauma is suffered in a specific area multiple times, small tears will develop over time but not disable the individual completely. Some work-related injuries worsen an individual’s pre-existing condition so it is important to first look at specific injury information as well as surrounding areas with similar issues that may have been present for some time.
Fraying – the fraying of a tendon means the tendon is coming apart after years’ worth of small injuries over time. During a lifting accident on the job, the weak tendon is at risk for completing breaking apart. In some cases, fraying can be linked to job duties if the repetitive tasks are the cause of the injury. But it also important to consider the other reasons fraying is present in the person’s tendons.
Multilevel degenerative disc disease – this type of condition is likely not going to be related to work injuries. This condition may have been aggravated by certain job tasks and proof of that would have to be explored concerning long-time employees. In many cases, insurance adjusters will immediately deny this condition as a viable workers comp medical claim.
Spondylolisthesis/Spondylolysis – these two conditions which refer to the shifting of vertebrae in the spine. These conditions result in increased pressure on the discs which cause them to weaken and make them open to the threat of injury or herniation. Long work histories in certain job functions can be argued as the cause of the ongoing condition but there are few work-related accidents which can be directly linked to these medical diagnosis.
