Previously, we have warned of the pending legislation that will restrict the access of injured workers across the State of Pennsylvania to get medications they need. Now, thanks to the House passing Senate Bill 936, the legislation heads to the Governor. It is not bad enough that innocent people suffered…
Pennsylvania’s legislators try their best to represent their constituents; I believe this is true the vast majority of times. But, there are certainly times when the results of their actions are very difficult to reconcile with the best interests of those they have sworn to protect. Currently pending in the…
House Bill 18 has made it out of committee and is expected to be voted on early next week (Tuesday). This bill would drastically change how injured workers in Pennsylvania would get their medications (and what medications they could get). Basically, the Bill introduces “Evidence-Based Medicine” to PA workers’ compensation…
Representing injured workers in Pennsylvania, we see many severe injuries. One condition which certainly belongs in this category is Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), otherwise known as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). This debilitating condition has been discussed on our blog in the past. Since a hallmark of RSD/CRPS is incapacitating…
Pennsylvania work-related injuries occur in many forms. We see musculoskeletal trauma, such as a broken wrist or ankle, a herniated disc in the neck or back, or tears in the knee or shoulder, among many others. Neurological injuries also unfortunately happen, and can include Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD)/Complex Regional Pain…
A recent study from Northwestern Medicine and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, published in Science Daily, relates that scientists have identified what part of a patient’s brain is triggered during a “placebo effect.” A “placebo” is a “fake medicine,” which can actually cause real pain relief. We have many injured…
Spinal cord stimulators have been around for many years. In fact, the FDA first approved the use of such devices back in 1989. These devices can provide relief to those who live in chronic pain. Many of our clients have benefited from these devices, though not all patients have success…
In 2009, we discussed an article in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, which advised patients to try physical therapy before resorting to low back surgery for degenerative disc disease. Now, six years later, a University of Pittsburgh study found that surgery and physical therapy achieved roughly…
One of the more common injuries we see in Pennsylvania workers’ compensation is a tear of the rotator cuff in the shoulder. We have discussed this kind of injury previously on the blog. This kind of injury can happen suddenly, or it can occur progressively, over a period of months,…
There are many different kinds of injuries and conditions we face in Pennsylvania workers’ compensation matters. One common thread in those injuries and conditions, however, is pain. Often, the pain is to a level that is severe, requiring significant medications to obtain relief. Various types of medications are classified differently.…