Senior Nurse Review Can Be Cure For Chronic Pain Cases

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By ReduceYourWorkersComp 09/17/2013 09:30:00

Treatment for pain is the overall largest component of medical treatment in workers’ compensation claims yet often adjusters do not know how to use nurses effectively in the pain control scenario. Pain often presents the biggest challenge to medical providers who repair torn ligaments or fractured bones with ease but struggle to provide proper pain management for injured employees.

Pain is defined by the International Association for the Study of Pain as:  “An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage.”

No Tests Can Measure the Level of Pain Experienced

Pain is unique to each individual. No tests can measure the level or the intensity of pain an injured employee experiences. Unfortunately, an injured employee prone to malingering, now has an easy avenue to avoid returning to work.

The level of pain cannot be tested by the treating physician. Common practice is to ask the injured employee to rate the pain on a level of zero to ten on a 10-point scale. A zero rating indicates no pain and 10 rating indicates pain preventing any body movement or function. Injured employees who do not want to return to work normally rate their pain higher on the 10-point scale than actually being experienced.

A medical provider determines the location of pain by various neurological tests involving touching and pressing key points on the limb or body and by requesting the injured employee to make various movements. This type of examination allows the physician to test reflexes, sensation, coordination, movement, and balance. Based on these tests plus the observations of the employee’s facial expressions, total body movements, and gait, the medical provider pinpoints the spot within the limb or body where the pain is originating.

The medical provider uses various technologies to identify the cause of pain. The most common ways include electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies. The EMG gives the medical provider guidance in identifying which nerves or muscles are impacted by weakness or pain. Nerve conduction studies measure a nerve’s electrical system and allow the medical provider to determine if there is nerve damage.

Pain is most often described as either acute or chronic. Acute pain is sudden pain an employee feels immediately when a laceration, burn, or other occurrence causes damage to the skin, internal tissue, or bones. Chronic pain is on-going pain an injured employee feels over an extended period of time. Some medical providers define chronic pain as pain lasting more than six months from the date of injury. Others define chronic pain as pain lasting longer than the expected healing time for the injury.

Chronic pain is often described as ‘burning,’ ‘shooting,’ ‘aching,’ ‘stabbing,’ or like an ‘electrical shock.’ Chronic pain is also described in terms of stiffness, soreness, and tightness. Chronic pain can be at any level on the 10-point pain scale. Other medical issues are experienced by those suffering from chronic pain including the inability to sleep, depression, anxiety, and fatigue. The severity level of chronic pain is influenced by psychological and environmental factors.

Original Source

The Law Office of O'Toole & Sbarbaro, P.C. can help you with your workers' compensation or Social Security disability case.

http://www.otoole-sbarbaro.com

Phone: 303-595-4777

We are located in the Denver Metro area.

226 West 12th Avenue Denver, Colorado 80204

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