You may know that California workers who experience injuries in workplace accidents have the right to compensation through their employer’s workers’ compensation insurance. However, these benefits extend beyond just accident-related injuries, and may also be available for individuals who got sick or developed injuries as a result of their jobs.
Illnesses and physical conditions that develop due to your job, including complex regional pain syndrome, are grounds for a workers’ compensation claim. If you are struggling with this syndrome, you need medical care and more. It can be frustrating to be a worker dealing with an illness that many people misunderstand, but you may seek support as you pursue rightful benefits.
What is CRPS and who is vulnerable?
Complex regional pain syndrome is an illness that affects one limb after an injury. Experts believe that it develops as a result of damage done to the regional and peripheral nerves in the affected limb. Workers who suffer an injury in an accident at work may find that this disease develops later, characterized by the following:
- Excessive pain
- Changes in temperature
- Swelling in the area
- Changes in skin color
- Changes in the growth of hair and skin
- Stiffness in joints
- Lack of muscle coordination
Some cases of CRPS are mild and resolve themselves over time. However, your case may be more severe, and you could find that you are unable to return to work or need extensive time off to recover. This is in addition to the medical care you could require.
Anyone can develop CRPS after a work injury, but women are more susceptible to it. It is more common in younger people, with a peak age of 40, and is very rare in elderly individuals. It is not medically certain what actually causes the onset of CRPS, but just because it is unseen and largely misunderstood does not mean you do not have a rightful claim to benefits.
Your claim to workers’ compensation benefits
If you received a diagnosis of CRPS after a work injury, you have no time to lose in protecting your interests and filing a claim for benefits. If your disease was the result of your job or work-related accident, you have a right to compensation for medical care, lost wages and more.
Navigating the workers’ compensation claims process is complex, but you do not have to walk through it alone. With support and guidance, it may be easier to claim the benefits you need for recovery and an eventual return to work.