Relief from pain in the North Carolina Workers’ Compensation System

What happens if you have healed from your workers compensation injury, but you still have severe pain? Say for instance you fell from a ladder and tore your ACL. After surgery and weeks of physical therapy, you are nearly healed, but you still have severe pain that keeps you from doing your job. The North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Act provides that your employer may be required to offer you medical treatment that lessens your period of disability, brings about a cure of your injury, or provides you “relief.”

You might not be aware that relief from pain is an aspect of the “relief” that an employer can be required to provide you. Relief from pain can be acheived by a range of traditional, conservative or cutting edge medical treatments. It is important to make sure that your pain is addressed early on in the treatment process. Employee’s often don’t realize how much the decisions they make at the beginning of their claim can affect their ability to get the maximum medical benefits they deserve as their claim winds down. That is why it is crucial to obtain experienced counsel early in your worker’s compensation claim. The workers’ compensation system is complex, and there are many ways for the Employer or Insurance Carrier to deny you medical treatment for relief from pain.

If you have questions about your claim, or about seeking relief from pain, please feel free to contact a Charlotte work injury attorney John Ayers or Christian Ayers at Ayers, Whitlow & Dressler. Our number is (704) 377-5050. We look forward to hearing from you.