Many of us don’t realize just how much we use our shoulders on a daily basis until we injure them. That’s why a rotator cuff injury can be so devastating. As a Missouri Work Comp law firm, we see a lot of rotator cuff injuries in serious Missouri Workers Compensation cases.
If you have a rotator cuff injury because of a Missouri Work Comp injury, then you are entitled to compensation. You probably want to know what the settlement value is for your rotator cuff injury. You deserve to be fully compensated for the harms you have suffered.
Our practice sees numerous Missouri work comp shoulder injuries and have handled numerous rotator cuff cases.
But let’s first talk about the injury itself, because the severity and scope of rotator cuff injuries drive settlement value. Your rotator cuff is the muscles and tendons in your shoulder. Trauma readily causes damage to these muscles or tendons.
Typical causes of a rotator cuff injury may include falling, lifting, and repetitive arm activities — especially those done overhead, such as placing items on overhead shelves.
What Exactly Is A Rotator Cuff Tear?
The rotator cuff is essentially a cuff of tissue. It is firm, gristly tissue that covers and attaches to the ball and socket of the shoulder joint. It consists of a group of muscles, tendons, and ligaments. This controls the shoulder’s mobility and stabilizes the ball of the shoulder within the shoulder joint. The rotator cuff is made up of four muscles and tendons. These combined to form a “cuff” over the upper end of the arm.
There are four muscles that make up the rotator cuff: the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis, and teres minor. They originate from the scapula and form a single tendon unit. The rotator cuff is attached to the shoulder blade and then inserted into the upper part of the humerus.
The function of the rotator cuff is to hold the shoulder joint together and hold the ball of the humerus snug in the socket while large muscles move the arm around in space.
The supraspinatus tendon is the tendon that is most commonly torn when people suffer a rotator cuff tear. As Work comp defense lawyers are quick to point out, rotator cuff tendons, just like lots of our other joints and tendons, tend to degenerate as we age.
One of the challenges with rotator cuff injuries is there is not a good flow of blood to this area of the body to heal the injury. Surgery is sometimes the only solution because this allows for new blood supply along with reattaching the rotator cuff. So surgery is often successful but there are no guarantees. From a Missouri Work Comp perspective, the average compensation for a shoulder injury requiring is much higher than one that does not have surgery.
If untreated by surgery, a rotator cuff tear will not heal in the sense that the tear won’t eventually mend itself. A rotator cuff tear will remain a tear for the remainder of the individual’s life unless surgical action is taken.
The risks associated with rotator cuff surgery include infection and death. There is also a risk of nerve or vessel injury, inability to repair the injury, continued pain, and arthritis. There is also no guarantee of function or abilities after surgery. This is a part of the claim that often gets overlooked. The pain and suffering from the fear that your loss of function is permanent.
Rotator Cuff Settlement and Verdict Statistics
The value of rotator cuff injury claims varies greatly. Five variables drive the value of these claims:
- The diagnostic severity of the injury
- The age of the injured worker
- Prior medical history
- A complete or partial tear
- Whether the injured worker had surgery
- The injured workers wage rate
The most important of these variables is the severity of the injury. Rotator cuff cases where there is a surgery are generally more valuable than those without a surgical procedure.
If it was just a shoulder strain, then hiring a Missouri Work Comp lawyer is probably not necessary. But if you or a loved one has had a rotator cuff surgery related to a Missouri Workers Compensation Injury, then you should hire a Missouri Work Comp lawyer.
You want an experienced workers’ compensation attorney at your side to make sure you get what you deserve for your rotator cuff injury. Call the Krebs Law Office locally at (417) 883-5886 or toll free at (800) 345-0535.
There is no upfront cost to hiring a Missouri Work Comp lawyer for your claim. If have a potential Missouri work comp case and want to make sure you maximize your Missouri Workers Compensation benefits for your rotator cuff injury that requires surgery, then you should speak to a Missouri Workers Compensation attorney sooner rather than later.
Utilize our years of expertise to get the compensation you deserve and let us help each step of the way.