After suffering an on-the-job injury, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits from your employer or your employer’s workers comp insurer. Once you have fully recovered from your injury, your employer expects benefits will cease and that you will return to work.

Employers and insurers have obvious incentives to downplay the severity of a work injury and to expedite the return to work. But, only the injured worker knows precisely how the ongoing affects of an injury are affecting him or her.

Complex regional pain syndrome is a potentially long-term condition that often arises in the wake of a work injury. CRPS may be difficult to detect for anyone other than the person experiencing it. You might not have heard of CRPS before, but if you are experiencing ongoing pain, you could benefit from learning a little more about the condition.

Pain is just one symptom of CRPS

CRPS can arise at any age among both men and women. That being said, it is far more common in women, and the average age of a CRPS sufferer is 40 (it is very rare among children and the elderly).

CRPS is characterized by chronic pain that often manifests as a burning, “pins and needles” or squeezing sensation. Other symptoms include skin sensitivity and discoloration, sweating, swelling, stiffness in joints, problems coordinating muscle movement, muscle spasms and temperature change in the affected extremity. It most often affects one of the limbs, usually after trauma to that limb.

CRPS can be difficult to detect and diagnose

CRPS presents a unique problem in the context of work injuries because while it may appear as though you are fully recovered, you could be experiencing pain that makes it impossible for you to return to work. CRPS is a condition not well-known, even among physicians. Your employer, their workers’ comp insurer, even your doctor could think you are exaggerating your symptoms, when in fact you are suffering from CRPS.

Many cases of CRPS improve over time. A CRPS sufferer who is properly diagnosed and treated has particularly goods odds of eventual recovery. When CRPS goes unrecognized, however, it not only can mean loss of your workers’ comp benefits, it can also mean you do not receive the care you need to help you recover.

A workers’ comp attorney can ensure you get the benefits you need for CRPS

If you believe you may be suffering from CRPS in the wake of a work injury and are being denied the benefits you deserve, get in touch with a workers’ compensation attorney. A lawyer experienced in handling CRPS cases will connect you with a doctor who can make a proper diagnosis, and will pursue a workers’ compensation claim on your behalf.

It can be difficult to get the workers’ comp benefits you need for CRPS. But, with the right legal help, it is not impossible. Contact a Charlotte workers compensation attorney who is experienced in representing persons with complex regional pain syndrome today and get the full workers’ comp benefits to which you are entitled.