Workers Comp Specialist

What are common work-related injuries?

A wide range of injuries happen in the workplace every day. Repetitive-use injuries, such as the kind of tendon inflammation that can affect workers who use their hands or arms to perform tasks, are relatively common and are often only diagnosed after function is lost.

Acute injuries, such as the trauma caused by a slip-and-fall accident or the sudden back pain brought on by lifting something heavy, also occur frequently. These types of injuries are more likely to cause you to miss work as you recover, and often impact the muscles, bones, joints, or nerves in one of the following areas:

• Back
• Neck
• Shoulders
• Knees

What injuries can diagnostic imaging reveal?

Dr. Hussman can use diagnostic imaging tests to reveal a variety of specific injuries, such as:

Bulging spinal disc

Any injury that moves your spine out of alignment can cause one of discs that sits between the spinal vertebrae to bulge out and put pressure on nearby nerves, causing lower back pain.

Herniated spinal disc

Any direct trauma to your back may result in a ruptured spinal disc. When the jellylike substance pushes out of the disc and irritates nearby spinal nerves, it causes lower back pain. If the sciatic nerve is involved, the pain may radiate from your lower back down through your buttock into your leg, where you may also experience numbness or tingling.  

Whiplash

You may think of whiplash as a car accident injury, but it can also happen when you slip and fall. Whiplash injuries typically cause some amount of trauma to the discs, ligaments, muscles, nerves, and surrounding tissues in your neck. Common symptoms include neck pain that worsens with movement, a decreased range of motion, and headaches.

Concussion

This common head injury occurs when your brain shifts, bounces, or twists inside your skull, causing abnormal brain function. A concussion may cause a temporary loss of consciousness, or it may cause more subtle symptoms, including a headache, neck pain, confusion, or dizziness.  

What types of diagnostic imaging may be used during my assessment?

Depending on the nature and extent of your injury, Dr. Hussman may use:

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

An MRI creates clear pictures of your joints, bones, and soft tissues. It’s generally the best choice for examining your spine, major joints, tendons, ligaments, and muscles.

X-ray

X-rays use low-dose radiation to show detailed pictures of your bones and joints. X-rays are the quickest and easiest way may to detect or evaluate bone fractures.

Computerized tomography (CT) scan

A CT scan combines X-ray imaging with advanced computer technology to produce images of the structures that lie deeper in your body.