Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy

Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Helping Injured Employees in Chicago and Beyond

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) is a group of symptoms that include pain and swelling, although the term refers to a chronic pain condition. For employees diagnosed with RSD, Illinois law provides for workers’ compensation. These benefits and payments can ease the financial burden that accompanies the management of chronic pain while injured individuals are unable to work. Whether the pain is moderate, allowing an individual to work with restrictions, or it is crippling and totally disabling, the Chicago work injury attorneys at  Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca  can help pursue lost wages and costs for medical care. Suffering from reflex sympathetic dystrophy can greatly affect an individual’s ability to work, and we understand the financial and emotional consequences that accompany an RSD diagnosis.

Seek Benefits Based on Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy

Workers who suffer injuries in the course and scope of their employment are entitled to file a claim for workers’ compensation benefits under Illinois law. The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act provides benefits for the medical costs of job-related injuries and diseases, as well as medical conditions that have been aggravated at work. Reflex sympathetic dystrophy is a painful condition that affects workers of various backgrounds across many industries. In some cases, workers suffer from chronic pain without having endured a specific injury, while in other situations, previous medical conditions or bodily harm causes ongoing pain. The intense and continuous pain that accompanies RSD may be marked by discoloration, swelling, and in some cases, burning pain.

The causes of reflex sympathetic dystrophy include a traumatic injury, surgery, or nerve irritation, such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Reflex sympathetic dystrophy can be difficult to diagnose and generally occurs in the states of acute, dystrophic, or atrophic. Acute states may involve swelling and pain, as well as tenderness. Dystrophic states may involve a thickening of the skin. Atrophic RSD is the most long-standing form, involving a loss of motion and function of the hand or the foot. In the majority of cases, the diagnosis is based on clinical findings, supported by radiological tests. Symptoms may be treated through the use of prescription drugs, physical therapy, and in some cases, antidepressants.

Employers or their workers’ compensation insurance providers may initially deny workers’ compensation claims for chronic pain. Presenting evidence that the chronic condition was due to a work-related injury or was pre-existing but aggravated by completing work duties can be critical to a successful claim. If the RSD flared up after work-related tasks aggravated a pre-existing medical condition, the claimant likely will receive workers’ compensation. For example, if a worker suffered from carpal tunnel syndrome, and work conditions aggravated this syndrome, eventually leading to RSD, the claimant may receive benefits for the aggravation.

The types of disability awards that may be secured by successful workers’ compensation claimants include permanent total disability as well as permanent partial disability benefits. Permanent total disability weekly payments are available to workers who are permanently disabled and unable to work. Permanent partial disability benefits pay a percentage of lost wages that accounts for a reduced but not eliminated ability to work.

Understand Your Options by Consulting a Chicago Lawyer

At  Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca, we understand the challenges and frustrations that accompany chronic pain, particularly when the causes are unknown but pain is unrelenting. Our Chicago attorneys are here to ease the burden for people suffering from chronic pain conditions like reflex sympathetic dystrophy. If you have a chronic pain condition that was caused or exacerbated by a work-related injury, we can help you pursue the benefits that you deserve according to Illinois law. Our workers’ compensation lawyers also assist people in Rockford, Champaign, Aurora, Quincy, and Springfield, as well as other areas of Kane, Sangamon, Champaign, Cook, Winnebago, and Adams Counties. If you or someone close to you is suffering from the symptoms of RSD, we can provide legal representation. To set up a free consultation with a skilled attorney and learn more about your options, call 312-724-5846 or contact us online.