Dallas Center Workers Compensation Attorneys

Understanding Facet Syndrome as a Work-Related Injury

Facet syndrome is a progressive and painful disorder of the spine that affects many Dallas Center workers, particularly those in physically demanding jobs. While the condition is primarily degenerative, work duties can significantly contribute to its development and worsen the pain over time.

What Is Facet Syndrome?

Facet joints are small joints that connect two adjacent vertebrae. There are two facet joints at each level of the spine, and together they give the spinal column stability while still allowing movement. Over time, the cartilage on these joints can weaken and break down, a condition known as facet joint syndrome or facet disease. As the joints continue to deteriorate, workers experience a growing amount of back pain and discomfort.

What Causes Facet Disease?

Facet syndrome is caused by wear and tear, which is often associated with aging, but that is not always the case for Dallas Center workers whose jobs place repeated strain on the spine. Other causes and contributing factors include:

• Repetitive trauma overuse injuries, such as delivery workers repeatedly bending and lifting, or assembly line workers performing tasks with the lumbar spine flexed
• Traumatic workplace accidents
• Obesity
• The presence of other spinal conditions, such as spondylolisthesis

Recognizing the Symptoms

It can be difficult to recognize facet joint syndrome, at least at first, because its symptoms can mimic those of other spinal disorders. Many patients with facet disease also have other back conditions, which makes diagnosis and distinguishing between overlapping symptoms more challenging. Doctors may look for symptoms such as:

• Radiating pain
• Headaches
• Weakness or numbness in the extremities
• Tenderness and sensitivity in one area of the spine
• Stiffness and reduced flexibility
• Difficulty bending, standing straight, or walking

Because the facet joints are so central to the body's movement, ordinary activities such as walking, running, bending, sitting, and twisting can all become painful once the joints are injured or worn down.

Treatment Options

Doctors treat facet joint syndrome in a variety of ways. In serious or persistent cases, fusion surgery or facet rhizotomy may be recommended. There are also numerous non-surgical treatment options, including:

• Anti-inflammatory medication
• Pain medication
• Hot or cold packs
• Back-specific exercises and physical therapy
• Cervical traction
• Back braces
• Strength training
• Posture corrections
• Avoiding movements that worsen symptoms

Seeking diagnosis and treatment at the first indication of facet syndrome is critical, since early and proper treatment is key to a successful outcome and to preventing recurring back problems. If you believe your facet disease is work related, tell your supervisor immediately and begin documenting your care and treatment so you can file a workers' compensation claim for compensation.

Why These Claims Are Difficult to Prove

If your facet syndrome is genuinely related to your job, actually proving the claim can be complicated. Your employer's insurance company might argue that the injury is purely degenerative and had nothing to do with your work. Because the condition can mimic other spinal problems, the insurer or employer might also try to attribute your symptoms to unrelated health issues. If you are having difficulty proving your workers' compensation claim in Dallas Center, contact an attorney as soon as possible. With proper legal counsel, supportive medical testimony, and adequate evidence, you can more effectively demonstrate the link between your injury and your work duties.

Can You Get Fired for Filing a Workers' Compensation Claim in Iowa?

Dallas Center workers often ask whether they can be fired for filing a workers' compensation claim after being hurt on the job. The honest answer is yes, this can happen, because most Iowa employees work under an at-will arrangement. An employer will rarely admit that a termination is connected to a workers' compensation claim, but if you are fired after reporting a work injury, you may have a claim for wrongful discharge. Because the time limits for filing this type of complaint can be short, it is important to contact an attorney promptly.

Workers' Rights Under Workers' Compensation

Workers' compensation functions as a contract between an employer and its employees. In exchange for the employer providing workers' compensation insurance to cover job-related injuries and diseases, the employee gives up the right to pursue a separate civil lawsuit against the employer. In Iowa, workers' compensation laws provide medical benefits and disability benefits to workers injured or harmed on the job, and the majority of Iowa employees who are hurt while working are covered.

Employer Retaliation for Filing a Claim

Although the law clearly gives an injured worker the right to file a workers' compensation claim for benefits, some employers respond by retaliating against the employee. Retaliation can take several forms, including a poor performance review, another negative employment action, or outright termination. While these forms of retaliation happen, they are against the law in Iowa.

What Does At-Will Employment Mean?

Being an at-will employee means you can be terminated or dismissed by an employer for almost any reason, as long as the reason is not illegal. The employer does not have to establish just cause for the termination, which is why a Dallas Center worker may be told the firing had nothing to do with their workers' compensation claim, even if it did.

Iowa Law and Wrongful Discharge

Under Iowa's wrongful termination principles, if a worker is retaliated against for doing something protected by public policy, such as filing a workers' compensation claim for benefits, wrongful termination has occurred. In that situation, the employee has the right to file a claim for wrongful discharge in an Iowa court. For an employer's decision to fire an employee to be lawful, it must be based on conduct that is not protected by state or federal law.

How Much Is a Permanently Disabled Back Injury Worth to Workman's Comp?

Back injuries are among the most common and life-altering workplace injuries Dallas Center workers face. If a work-related back injury results in a permanent disability, Iowa workman's comp may provide meaningful benefits, but understanding what you may be entitled to requires a look at several important factors.

Eligibility Criteria for Workman's Comp Benefits

To recover workers' compensation benefits in Iowa, you must be able to prove that your injury is related to your work duties or your work environment. Under the Iowa Administrative Code, an injury is defined as any health impairment other than the normal building up and tearing down of body tissues. While many permanently disabled back injuries result from a sudden event, such as a fall from height, others develop from overexertion over a longer period of time and become a serious back injury nonetheless.

Permanent Partial Disability Benefits

If your medical team has determined that your back injury is permanent in nature, you may be eligible for permanent partial disability, or PPD, benefits once the healing period concludes, meaning the point at which you return to work, can return to similar employment, or further healing is no longer anticipated. Iowa Code Section 85.34 requires that these benefits be distributed based on the seriousness of the permanent disability and, where relevant, how the injury affects your ability to earn a living for the rest of your life. A permanently disabled back injury is treated as an unscheduled disability, so more than just a doctor's impairment rating under the AMA Guidelines to Permanent Impairment factors into the calculation.

The overall calculation process is complex and involves multiple factors meant to anticipate your loss of future earning capacity over your entire remaining life, including:

• Age
• Level of education
• Changes in wages because of the injury
• Additional factors specific to your circumstances

In some cases, a claimant receives a settlement offer relatively early in the process. It is important to be cautious of any initial offer, since you could be entitled to significantly more than what the insurer first proposes. An attorney should review any settlement agreement before you sign it.

What if You Are Totally and Permanently Disabled?

If a permanently disabled back injury completely prevents you from working, Iowa workman's comp may provide permanent total disability, or PTD, benefits. These benefits remain available for as long as the injury continues to be permanent and totally disabling, providing ongoing support for workers who can no longer return to any form of gainful employment.