Some information on back injuries and your rights

[dannyboy]

Many of you have posted about having back injuries an not getting any help from the "company quacks".

By law the company must give you a choice of three providers to see when you get injured. And for back or neck injuries they must add a chiropractor to the list. That list is to be posted at each facility and the employees are to have equal access to any one on that list.

For those of you that dont know, Chiropractors treat mostly back and neck injures only, therefor they understand the injury well. Under Chiropractic care, you are usually able to get back to work in half the time, and a lower cost to the company. And it is with your longterm health in mind, not just to mask the problems with drugs, some come to find out cause more problems than the injury.

REmember, It is your RIGHT to this care under workers comp law. USe it. Take care of the back properly.

d

 

[brewfish]

Good advise.
When it comes to chiropractic care, I swear by it.
To those that have never been to one, I suggest getting a refeeral from a friend or co-worker. Not all chiros are created equal(md's either).
I have sent dozens of my co-workers to my chiropractor, becuse I trust him. My wife and kids go to him also.

 

[gman]

Fortunately for me, my son-in-law is a soon to be chiropractor. So when my benefits dry up, I'll get some free bee treatment. At least I better after the ton of money I dropped on their wedding and the cash gift that went with it! But for now he's piling up the student loans, so he may NEED me to pay. I've used a couple chiropractors and both are extremly intelligent people. My current one is on my route and I can take a lunch break to get "roughed up" as she puts it. Yea, I said she. She just watches me walk and bend over and she can tell me what I did to strain something and then she fixes me up.

 

[speeddemon]

thanks for the info bud!

 

[dannyboy]

Well, my father was one, and my brother is one also, but not on the panel for UPS workers. But he does see 15 or 20 of our drivers and sups regularly. Most see him between 730 and 830 AM before work.

Big thing is that with a back injury, most times there is something wrong, and unless you see someone that can fix it(preferably without surgury) and the only cover up the symptoms with drugs, it will not get any better.

IT works. So if you do have a back injury, get the best treatment for your problem. If it needs surgury, a good Chiro will tell you that right off. If not, he can get you back to feeling great and back to work much faster than an MD can. ANd most good ones will also teach you how to keep it from happening again.

d

 

[chipperv]

I agree with you all that a chiropractor, is the best thing to get you back at work when you have a back injury. I see one once a week, but I'm still out on an injury. This happened last July, and don't think I'll be able to do my job as a package car driver any longer. My doctor put me on some lifting restrictions, and I don't think UPS is going to take me back. Twenty one years of my life is gone, and if UPS lets me go, what do I have to look forward to? If you can help me with some advice, let me know. Thanks.

 

[wily_old_vet]

do you have a lawyer? You should get a permanent disability rating after the doc's decide you are at maximum healing. If you don't have a lawyer, get one. Your union local should be able to refer you to one. Good luck.

 

[dannyboy]

I agree with Wiley. As much a I hate lawyers, you need one if UPS makes that type of move.

I use a chiro more for maintanance to keep me from having problems. It has seemed to work. OF course I am lucky to have one that I can see as needed. But he does still charge me for the visits.

d

 

[proups]

I guess I'll be the only one with a bad experience with a chiropractor....

I had a back injury 12 years ago. I did the MD thing, and was on meds as many of you have mentioned, when I was referred to a "good chiropractor" for a consultation. He took an x-ray of my back and told me I would be OK after a few adjustments. It didn't work.

I stayed the course with the regular MD after that, got an MRI, then was referred to a neurosurgeon. The neuro took about a five second look at two pages of MRI pics, and showed me where I had a herniated disc pinching a nerve. I underwent surgery, and was back to work pain free in four weeks.

I can't say that all chiropractors are bad - some people swear by them. But when I told my neurosurgeon that I had been to one for my back, he told me that one wrong "back crack" could have paralyzed me from the waist down.

I think I'll put my money on the doc trained to operate on my brain vs. the chiropractors.

 

[ok2bclever]

Well gee, a guy who makes hundreds of thousands of dollars, (but only if you consent to him sticking you with a knife) bad mouths someone who can possibly fix you non-invasively for far less money (aka: his competition), what a surprise.

There are times when surgery is necessary.

Sometimes it even works, sometimes it doesn't and sometimes it leaves you more damaged even to the point of numbness, more pain and paralysis which is why you have to sign off on a bunch of "it ain't his fault if this goes bad" legal paperwork in the consent forms allowing a surgeon to stab you.

I have heard far more horror stories from surgery than from Chiro handlings.

There are lousy Chiros just like lousy surgeons, but usually the worst you will get out of a Chiro session is no relief.

I would have to say paralysis occurs far far more often from the "brain" surgeon than the Chiro.

I have used three Chiros over my career and believe all of them were "good" and competent practioners, but the first two just rarely seemed to "help".

My current one does the job and keeps me capable of working when the back starts up.

So, just like the knife guys this chiropractice is an art rather than a science (if the knife guy says it's an understood science walk a way and find a real doctor) and it's a matter of finding your personal Michael de Angelo.

 

[wily_old_vet]

I have had 3 back surgeries and continue to be able to do the job. I was "fortunate" in that in my case it was fragments of the disk breaking off and not a herniated disk. I had a neurosurgeon do all 3 surgeries and while his bed side manner sucked he got results. I came out of each surgery pain free. I would never go to a chiropractor because the thought of someone "adjusting" my spine has no appeal to me but that's a personal preference.

 

[ok2bclever]

Exactly what do you call it when a guy sticks a knife into you from behind if not "adjusting your back"?

Seriously, as I stated there is sometimes an actual need for a neurosurgeon and I would imagine a person who has disks actually "breaking" off would be a prime candidate.

A competent chiro seeing such physical damage on an x-ray would know their limitations and send their patient to the knifeman in such an instance I am sure.

Although there is a ton of unneccessary surgery I have never heard a chiro denigrating another doctor.

They leave that to the insecure rich guys who use knives to get your money.

 

[gman]

My chiropractors, I've seen tow over the years have never said that surgery should be completely ruled out, but it should be a last resort. I know three people who have have had back surgery. Two ended up is a wheel chair for life and the other suffers as bad or worse than prior to the surgery. While one bad crack can end it all. so can a twitch of the blade. But I do believe both should be considered and used in the appropriate situation.

 

[tkm]

What are your thoughts on this. One Friday my back was bothering me all day but i figured it was just a little muscle pain so I go on home and don't say anything. Come Sunday I was in pain and could hardly walk so i went to the er. On Moanday I called in and asked my supervisor if I sould see the doctor. He said that since I didn't report it on the job that I can't do work comp. so i went through the process of seeing my own doctor and ended up having back surgery. A couple weeks later the pain was back and it ended up having another one. Over the years at ups I've had three. It has been 7 months now and my loss of time has stopped. My driving days may be over and I'm broke. Obviously this is due to the job. What i am wondering is that if it is too late to file work comp?

 

[massbrown]

Contact a workers' comp lawyer. Back injuries don't just happen. They are usually caused by years of abuse on your back.

 

[ol'browneye]

There is a time limit on filing a work comp claim. 2 years here. Work comp laws vary from state to state. I have ruptured the same disc twice and had surgery both times on UPS' dime. My last one was 4 years ago. I decided that instead of waiting around for injury and surgery number 3(which would most likely be fusion), I would go to a chiro and try to head off any problems before they start! I have been going for 2 months now and my back is feeling better now than before! I figured with my previous problems I was beyond chiro help but I was wrong. My advice is to give a chiro a try. If it doesn't help, quit going. UPS insurance pays 80% of it. I think I pay about $11 per visit. I have also been advised by 2 doctors to get out of pkg car and go into feeders. It would be easier on the body and if I were to hurt my back again and have surgery, it would be much easier to get back to work as a feeder driver. UPS would probably try to get rid of me as a pkg car driver saying I couldn't do the job anymore.

 

[rod]

I am a firm believer in Chiropractors and still go for an adjustmet a couple times a year. However you must make sure you go to an honest one that will tell right off the bat if they can do you any good or not. There are an awful lot of fly by night Chriopractors out there that think of nothing more than scheduling one appt. after another just to keep you coming in the door. Not all back problems can be cured by an adjustment .

 

[RockyRogue]

I am a firm believer in Chiropractors and still go for an adjustmet a couple times a year. There are an awful lot of fly by night Chriopractors out there that think of nothing more than scheduling one appt. after another just to keep you coming in the door. Not all back problems can be cured by an adjustment .

I've been to a couple of chiros. One was a magician, the other was a little out there. The former was near home, the latter was cross country and had some legal troubles earlier this decade. The latter lost her license after a criminal conviction arising from those legal problems but I think I heard she's practicing again. I'm mulling over going to see her next fall. She did me a lot of good (allegedly) and I could certainly use a repeat to make up my own mind. She's in Cement's neck of the woods. -Rocky

 

[trplnkl]

What are your thoughts on this. One Friday my back was bothering me all day but i figured it was just a little muscle pain so I go on home and don't say anything. Come Sunday I was in pain and could hardly walk so i went to the er. On Moanday I called in and asked my supervisor if I sould see the doctor. He said that since I didn't report it on the job that I can't do work comp. so i went through the process of seeing my own doctor and ended up having back surgery. A couple weeks later the pain was back and it ended up having another one. Over the years at ups I've had three. It has been 7 months now and my loss of time has stopped. My driving days may be over and I'm broke. Obviously this is due to the job. What i am wondering is that if it is too late to file work comp?

In Texas that is a big fat lie. You have 7 (or more?) days to report an on job injury and stay within the law. It is, of course, UP$ policy that you report an injury right away, but they can not change what the law says.

 

[RockyRogue]

In Texas that is a big fat lie. You have 7 (or more?) days to report an on job injury and stay within the law.

Depends on the state, Trplnkl. Colorado's limit is 4 days. I took a look at a poster last week at work. I saw something that DID make me smile on that poster. Something to the effect of: "If you (the injured worker) are found to have illegal substances in your system--whether that contributed to the accident or not--your eligibility for comp is reduced by half." I've never seen something like that in any other state. Anyone know what I'm talking about? Quite frankly, I think this should be a federal law! -Rocky