rotator cuff

[crawlhog]

so i pull my shoulder pulling a pump out at work (150 - 200# ) dont think much of it figure its the usual aches and pains , ice and heat after work for a few days and its sore but tolerable. then 2 weeks later i put the same pump back in but this time the next day i cant lift or hardly move my shoulder so i tell the boss ask for a couple days of sick time to let it heal he says fine but i need a note to come back , i go see the doc he tells me i got a damaged rotator cuff and i need all these tests, MRI XRAYS blah blah and no note, i hoped to be back at work yesterday but still no shoulder. so i tell the boss and talk to the insurance lady and they tell me because i didnt fill out a report im on my own, no workers comp. and in a nice way go F myself. now im sitting here with a belt around my neck, holding up my arm and typing with one hand. i guess what im asking is what are my options, how long does something like this take to heal and am i f##$ed.
thanks
rb

 

[freetimecrawler]

It took me well over 2 years before I could raise my arm above my head, and do a windmill with my arm. And to this day, over 20 years later, I still get pain in damp weather. I would fight for the workers comp claim.

 

[Mr.Slave]

I destroyed my collar bone and was ut for 7 months before I could go back to work.. and yes on cold days it hurts.

my brother had surgery for his rotator cuff cause his shoulder kept popping out, it took him about a year as well..

 

[camobob]

if your boss is gonna be a dick about it , then tell insurance or whoever you have to that he told you not to worry about go home and rest and fill one out when you get back . I had the same thing happen , boss said " just go home and rest " "if you need to see a doc we will fill it out then" Well I did need to se a doc later when my leg was asleep for 3 days. Guess what no work comp info filled out. His boss said well why didnt you fill it out when you got hurt ? I explained why , he didnt beleive me and said I was on my own. I told him I would either sue him or slip on something as soon as I leave this office if thats how he wants to play it and since there was nothing documented I would be in the clear and win this one. I lost my job but got my back taken care of. So win win if you ask me , who wants to work for a doucher like that anyway.

 

[hotwheels000]

I just had rotator cuff surgery along with a labrium tear and some bone scrapping.Its a long road to recovery.I had mine in June and it is still not fully healed and may never be...

The good news,its one of those surgery's that isnt a fix it now or we will never be able to.As long as you can deal with the discomfort you can keep delaying it.

Bad news,50,000 dollors is about what mine cost,thank god I had dual insurance or it would have been a spendy one on my end. It will also seriously limit your activities for 3 months of more if you follow the Doc's orders,(no worky). I have a new found respect for people with permanent disabilities,its amazing how just losing the use of on arm can effect so many activities.

 

[crawlhog]

i thank you all for the excellent advice guys at least now i can see what im up against. i forsee a long vicious battle ahead of me that will not be pretty. and like always im sure ill be on the losing end.
thanks againn guys GREATLY APPRECIATED"thumbsup""thumbsup"

 

[THnCS]

I used to pitch in high school and 1 summer after my senior season, I tore my rotator cuff. I went to the Dr and they told me the same blah, blah. Well I did not have insurance at the time, so I opted to let it heal on its own. It took about 1yr for me to be able to throw again.

I have not been able to do a push up since that injury, even when I was only 180lbs. I can get down fine, but when I push up, the shoulder will give. Fast forward 20yrs, it still bothers me most days, pops and make all kinds of noises and will throb every now and again. Honestly wish I would have done the surgery. I had to quit playing any sport that required me to throw a ball, that is why my ass is so big now.

Not sure what state you are in, but here in CO they would like you to report the injury within 4 days of it happening to your employer. When I say they, I mean his WC insurance company. The WC company just would like to get it handled ASAP so more expense does not occur. There is no time limit generally on a WC case. Depending on how well you like your job or friends with your boss.
1. Go to him and ask for WC company info so you can report the claim, or ask the HR person.
2. When he says no, you can go to your state labor board and report him, then they will report the claim for you.
3. Skip 1 and 2 and lawyer up.

Honestly, #1 is your employers best option. If he refuses, and you take the option 2 or 3 route. He will be in danger of losing his business and the ability to get WC insurance again. He could be non renewed from his current carrier and not be able to find anyone that will cover him.

Pretty much any of these routes to take are going to end up with you looking for another job. Sorry your boss is an ass!

 

[crawlhog]

I have a new found respect for people with permanent disabilities,its amazing how just losing the use of on arm can effect so many activities.[/QUOTE]

AMEN BROTHER, i had to pay the neighbor girl 5 bucks yesterday to wrap a package to send out ( she did a good job bob"thumbsup")

 

[crawlhog]

1. Go to him and ask for WC company info so you can report the claim, or ask the HR person.
did both yeterday got the song and dance called the insurance company yesterday, have not heard back yet
round 2 here we go

 

[freetimecrawler]

If the boss or insurance co fawk with you, go the #3 route and get a laywer. More then likely, you'll feel this injury for the rest of your life.

 

[TwistedCreations]

Well I did damage to both of mine from playing football and pitching baseball back when I was a kid..I have tried to push off surgery as long as I can. But like any other thing on your body, once you have damaged it, you tend to always have some sort of problems with it.

 

[punkfan]

Im not a lawyer, but i do know from hours of training that in in CO you have 4 days to notify your employeer about an accident, then they have to put you in the WC system. It sounds like you notified your boss in the right time frame, but he dropped the ball. If he wont make it right then go to your HR, if they wont make it right you need to get a lawyer.

 

[crawlhog]

If the boss or insurance co fawk with you, go the #3 route and get a laywer. More then likely, you'll feel this injury for the rest of your life.

thats what it looking like , the search begins
thanks again guys"thumbsup"
RB

 

[racerx]

My wife is healing up from her 3rd shoulder surgery right now... she had a small slap lesion repair on both shoulders about 4 yrs ago and after PT and rehab she was considered 100% no pain at all for over 3 years. Last July she was trying to do something at work and her left shoulder popped and she dropped to the floor in pain. The twisting motion she was doing the ball of her joint popped out and back in tearing all the anchors they installed on the first round of surgery... Her boss sent her to the WC clinic and they sent her to a surgeon for MRI, Xray and all that. They had to go back in and repair a 11 oclock to 3 oclock tear in the labrum (sp?) and re-anchor everything... she is healing up pretty good but she had a documented case of tendinitis in her right elbow and since she had to use the right arm for everything it was really bothering her so she brought it up with her doc and he said she was at risk of tearing the tendon away from the muscle ... they put her in a split cast for 6 weeks to try to let it heal a little then they scanned it and found a 50% tear of the tendon... GREAT! Now she faces 10 years of healing on it's own or more surgery. Neither one she wants to deal with... her work isn't too happy either because the doc says its because she had to use it so much while healing from the shoulder... She doesn't want to loose her job but her Lawyer says it is more than likely if she has surgery. The surgeon also told her that she needs to find a different career regardless. Sorry for the long story but it can drag on for a while so good luck and hopefully your boss lets you claim it on wc.

 

[CaptainSafety]

so i pull my shoulder pulling a pump out at work (150 - 200# ) dont think much of it figure its the usual aches and pains , ice and heat after work for a few days and its sore but tolerable. then 2 weeks later i put the same pump back in but this time the next day i cant lift or hardly move my shoulder so i tell the boss ask for a couple days of sick time to let it heal he says fine but i need a note to come back , i go see the doc he tells me i got a damaged rotator cuff and i need all these tests, MRI XRAYS blah blah and no note, i hoped to be back at work yesterday but still no shoulder. so i tell the boss and talk to the insurance lady and they tell me because i didnt fill out a report im on my own, no workers comp. and in a nice way go F myself. now im sitting here with a belt around my neck, holding up my arm and typing with one hand. i guess what im asking is what are my options, how long does something like this take to heal and am i f##$ed.
thanks
rb

Let me preface this by saying that i am a Loss Control Specialist at a very large Insurance Workers Compensation Insurer.

Sorry to hear about your issues. I'll give you a few points of advice.

1. Although it varies State by State, there is a time window you have from your initial date of injury that you can file a claim with your companies Workers Compensation Insurer. Here is WV it's 6 months. Yep you have 6 months from the day you were injured to file. After that, i don't have to have a reason to deny your claim. So first thing, tell your employer you were injured at work and you need to file a workers compensation claim, if they say you can't call the insurance provider.

2. Shame on you for not telling your supervisor as soon as you got hurt. In this industry, if you wait to file, facts get distorted, information lost, and injuries worsen. If you get hurt, tell someone asap.

3. Workers Compensation Insurance is required by law (varies state by state). It is a necessary evil for your employer.

4. If you were legitimately injured at work, you are entitled to medical treatment, and rehab afterwords. Your employer is liable for your safety.

Good luck with your injury,. Shoulder injuries are one of the worst to recover from and slowest to heal. If you have an issue with one / several on the muscles in the rotator cuff you are looking at least at 70 days off work with arthroscopic repair (per Official disability guidelines 2009). With open surgery, you likely will never be able to return to the specific job that caused the injury (Per ODG 2006 - Indefinite period). Not trying to scare you but if it is work related, seek compensation and the care you deserve.

 

[Rig Rocker]

Get a lawyer. They love your type of work injury cases with d-head bosses that want to weasel their way out of their responsibility. And they don't charge anything unless you win your case.