Jackson & New Orleans Shoulder & Knee Injury Lawyer
Shoulder and knee injuries are common workplace injuries that occur in sudden, one-time accidents as well as over time due to repetitive motion injuries. Shoulder and knee sprains can require time off work and physical therapy to heal properly, while bodily tissue tears may require surgery to repair injured tissue or even to replace tendons and ligaments with healthy tissue from other parts of the body. Artificial shoulder and knee replacements are sometimes required, as well.
It’s vital to your recovery that your shoulder or knee injury be properly diagnosed and appropriately treated. Employers and their workers’ compensation insurance carriers may want to say your injury is less severe than it is, or they may claim you have arthritis or some degenerative condition unrelated to a work injury. These are ways insurance companies have to deny workers the benefits and medical care they are entitled to after being injured on the job. Before you let that happen to you, contact the experienced and professional workers’ compensation lawyers at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC in Jackson, Mississippi, and New Orleans, Louisiana. Our Jackson & New Orleans shoulder & knee injury lawyers take on the job of making sure you get the benefits you need and deserve, while you take on the task of getting better.
Help with the full range of shoulder and knee injuries on the job in Jackson and New Orleans
Our Jackson and New Orleans workers’ compensation attorneys help injured workers in Mississippi and Louisiana with all kinds of shoulder and knee injuries, including torn rotator cuffs, torn ACLs and torn menisci.
Rotator Cuff – The shoulder is what’s known as a ball-and-socket joint. The top end of your upper arm bone (the humerus) is rounded or ball-shaped and lies inside a shallow socket in the shoulder bone (the scapula). The rotator cuff is a group of tendons and muscles that work to keep the ball of your humerus in place in the shoulder and allow you the full range of motion to move your arm within that socket. The muscles and tendons in the rotator cuff can tear in a traumatic injury, such as lifting or catching a heavy object. The rotator cuff can also degenerate over time due to repetitive motions on the job over a long period, such as heavy lifting or reaching overhead. Treatment for a torn rotator cuff can include arthroscopic or open surgery, tendon replacement or joint (shoulder) replacement. Less severe injuries may recover over time with physical therapy and rest.
ACL – The Anterior Cruciate Ligament, or ACL, is a tough piece of tissue connecting the shinbone (tibia) with the thighbone (femur). A tear or sprain in the ACL can be extremely painful and make it impossible to get around. As with a rotator cuff injury, treatment for an ACL injury can range from physical therapy and rest to surgery and replacement of the torn ligament. When you hear someone say they “popped” their knee or blew their knee out, it was probably an injury to the ACL. In the workplace, an ACL injury can occur when stopping or turning suddenly, falling and landing hard, or twisting the body while the foot remains planted.
Meniscus – A torn meniscus is another knee injury with a different cause and result from an ACL injury. The meniscus is a curved, crescent-shaped piece of cartilage that lies under either side of the kneecap (patella) and acts as a cushion for the knee, shinbone and thighbone. A forceful twisting or rotation of the knee can cause a meniscus tear. As with other shoulder and knee injuries, proper treatment may involve time off and physical therapy, or you may need surgery to repair the damage. The meniscus can tear in a traumatic injury from twisting, kneeling or lifting a heavy object; the meniscus can also degenerate over time due to repetitive kneeling, squatting and heavy lifting at work.
When your employer denies your shoulder or knee injury claim, our workers’ comp attorneys are here for you
Shoulder and knee injuries are frequent sources of workers’ compensation denials in Mississippi and Louisiana. If the injury is a sprain or strain, the workers’ comp carrier will say you don’t need to miss work. If the damage is so severe that you need a replacement joint, the insurer will say you have a degenerative condition that is not work-related and not entitled to benefits. When the insurance company is blocking you at every turn, you need help from experienced and dedicated workers’ compensation attorneys who know their way around the system and won’t let the insurance company get away with their tricks. At Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC, all we do is handle workers’ compensation claims for injured workers in Mississippi and Louisiana. You focus on getting better, and let us focus on getting you benefits.
Help with Shoulder & Knee Injury Worker’s Compensation in Jackson and New Orleans
For help obtaining workers’ compensation benefits for a shoulder or knee injury in Louisiana or Mississippi, call Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC for a free consultation in New Orleans (504-788-2994) or Jackson (601-488-3975).
