Workers Compensation for Back Injury

Long Beach Lawyers Discuss
Workers Compensation for Back Injury

Our experienced Long Beach Worker’s Compensation Lawyers have helped hundreds of men and women in Orange County get the workers compensation they deserve for back injuries. Neck and back injuries are in fact among most common types of workplace injuries that our lawyers see. A back injury can be among the most painful and debilitating injury there is. And yet, in spite of the pain and work limitations imposed by a back injury, they can often be the hardest to “prove” and therefore hardest to collect benefits for.

Back injuries, neck injuries and spine injuries can occur suddenly (for example from a fall) – or they can develop over time (for example from prolonged heavy lifting). When you have suffered a work related back or neck injury or illness, even if the injury occurred over time, you may be able to obtain Workers’ Compensation that covers both medical care and a percentage of your weekly wages.

Causes of Back Injuries that May Qualify for Workers Compensation:

• Prolonged desk or computer work that damages the spine or disks
• Heavy lifting, loading or unloading in warehouses, factories or trucks
• Repeated opening of heavy doors, such as in hospitals
• Falls from ladders, scaffoldings or other high places
• Car or truck accidents while driving a company vehicle
• Impacts from machinery, equipment, forklifts, etc.

Back Injuries that May Qualify for Workers Compensation:

• degenerative discs
• osteoarthritis
• rheumatoid arthritis
• arachnoiditis
• spondylitis
• other inflammatory conditions
• spinal stenosis
• nerve root compression
• other nerve issues
bulging discs
• herniated discs
• spondylolisthesis

Additionally, if you had back surgery and it was not effective – and/or it made your medical condition worse – you may also qualify for Workers’ Compensation benefits for “Failed Back Surgery Syndrome” (FBS or FBSS). Read more about Failed Back Surgery Syndrome (FBS) HERE.

Qualifying for Workers Compensation with a Back Injury

To qualify for Workers Compensation for back pain or back injuries, you must meet the same requirements as any disability. In order to collect workers compensation for a back injury, you must prove that the injury directly resulted from the performance of required work-related duties.

The Workers Comp Insurance company may try to show that the injury was not “occupational” (i.e. was not caused by your employment) and try to deny your claim by asserting that the injury was caused by leisure or other off-work activities (such as skiing, a motorcycle accident, etc.)

X-rays, MRIs, doctor’s notes after a physical examination, etc. must show that your back pain is caused by some physical abnormality of the spine or spinal canal that was “predominantly caused” by your work related activities. If you have back pain, but cannot document a physical impairment that normally produces pain symptoms like yours, you’re unlikely to win disability benefits.

Long Beach Workers Compensation Lawyers

Because of the difficulty you can encounter trying to “prove” that you cannot work because of your back injury, it is important to discuss your situation with an experienced Workers Compensation lawyer.

Our experienced Long Beach lawyers have handled hundreds of Workers’ Compensation cases for back injuries. Our lawyers understand what the Workers’ Compensation Board is “looking for” in order to approve your claim. We know through years of experience “what works and what doesn’t” –  so we are able to protect your rights and obtain the maximum benefits for which you qualify. Call our experienced Long Beach Workers’ Compensation lawyers today, for a free consultation – and get the benefits you deserve.


Long Beach Workers Compensation Attorneys: 562-622-4800