Articles Posted in Medical News

Perhaps the most debilitating of conditions we see in Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation cases are ones of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) [Formerly known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD)]. The hallmark of this condition is severe and constant pain. Since there is no cure for CRPS/RSD, all doctors can do is try to relieve and manage the chronic pain.

An article in Medical News Today says that researchers at the Pain Research Institute have found that a low dose of intravenous immunoglobin (IVIG) can provide dramatic pain relief for around five weeks in almost half of the patients surveyed. While the research is still in progress, this certainly represents hope for the many folks inflicted with this horrible condition. Also, by understanding how this drug works on the human body, additional treatments could be developed.

According to the PhillyBurbs.com, Rothman Institute, a highly respected medical practice based in Philadelphia, PA, has now opened a private hospital in Bensalem, PA. The hospital, the first opened by Rothman Institute, will handle only orthopedic conditions. There are 24 beds in the facility, which also contains medical offices.

More information can be found on the website dedicated to the new hospital, known as The Bucks County Specialty Hospital. While this facility is the first hospital opened by Rothman Institute, the practice does have ten offices throughout the Philadelphia area. The headquarters is located at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Center City Philadelphia.

Handling Pennsylvania workers’ compensation cases, we see a wide variety of work injuries. From problems with the neck and the back, to shoulders, elbows, knees, hands and everywhere in between. The one constant, though, is pain. Whether the injured worker has a herniated disc in the back, a broken arm, or a sprain or strain of a muscle, the injury usually involves pain.

To treat pain, and inflammation, in an acute work injury, doctors often prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (or, NSAID for short). However, according to a recent article on The Medical News website, Transdel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a new approach which they say is safer and more effective for pain relief than standard NSAID medications.

Recent clinical testing has reportedly been successful for Ketotransdel, an alternative to standard NSAIDs (which are in the form of a pill that is swallowed). Ketotransdel has a transdermal delivery system (or, in other words, this medication is applied to the skin, not a pill to be swallowed).

In Pennsylvania workers’ compensation, we see all sorts of injuries. Everything from a torn rotator cuff in the shoulder, to an ACL tear in the knee, to an amputation of a finger or toe, to a herniated disc in the neck or back – and everything in between. One thing common to many work injuries, though, is pain. Often, severe and chronic pain.

This pain causes many an injured worker to take prescription pain medication, narcotic pain medication, for the first time on a prolonged basis. Taking such a strong medication, for a long period of time, can be frightening for some. The fear of addiction to pain medication often clouds the judgment of an injured worker, perhaps causing the injured worker to suffer chronic pain needlessly.

A recent article on WebMD addresses seven myths with regard to prescription pain medication. This article offers some good information to those injured workers who are now dealing with these issues, perhaps for the first time. Given the misunderstandings and fears regarding narcotic pain medications, this article should be required reading for all injured workers in the PA workers’ compensation system.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), also known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), is a debilitating condition we see in Pennsylvania workers’ compensation all too often. This condition, whose sufferers experience tremendous, unrelenting, burning pain, has been known to develop from traumatic injury. Even when a work-related traumatic injury is not too severe, CRPS and RSD can develop. Medical experts remain at a loss to explain why this condition strikes some, but not others.

There is no cure for CRPS or RSD. The best doctors can offer is trying to relieve the terrible pain. As we have discussed in previous blog entries, research is continuing on possible treatment options.

Now, it appears there is a study looking into whether Functional MRI (fMRI) may be of benefit to those inflicted with CRPS or RSD. This treatment may also be of benefit to patients suffering from fibromyalgia, neuralgia, neuropathy and migraine headaches.

With the dangers of Swine Flu on the minds of everyone, but perhaps especially the minds of those workers in the healthcare industry, this article from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) may be of interest. Ironically, this article was posted on March 31, 2008, long before the current Swine Flu pandemic.

Raising this issue also brings to light that a healthcare worker in Pennsylvania who is stricken with an infectious disease as a result of his or her job is entitled to PA workers’ compensation benefits. We often see this type of case with Clostridium Difficile Colitis (C-Dif), Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), and other infectious diseases which are known to exist in hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities.

If you suspect you have caught an infectious disease as a result of performing your job duties in PA, it is critical that you contact an experienced Pennsylvania workers’ compensation attorney.

According to a recent article in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, physical therapy, combined with anti-inflammatory medication, is the most effective treatment for low back pain caused by degenerative disc disease.

As many injured workers know, one can have degenerative changes in their lumbar spine without even knowing. Once a work injury takes place, by lifting or twisting, or other common movement, the weakened lumbar spine becomes symptomatic. This results from the instability of the damaged discs.

According to the article, physical therapy helps by strengthening the surrounding muscles in the abdominal area and the lumbar spine, and by physically manipulating the spine. To obtain the best results, the patient has to remain active and use appropriate body mechanics.

In an interesting study, posted on www.medscape.com, patients with lumbar disc herniations have been found to recover better than those patients who refuse surgery to concentrate on medications, exercise and physical therapy. An injured worker suffering a herniated disc in his or her back (or neck, for that matter) is a frequent condition we see in PA workers’ comp cases. Often, the injured worker is undecided regarding whether to have surgery performed. This study should be interesting, and enlightening, reading for those injured workers.

The study, known as the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT), appeared in the December 1, 2008 issue of Spine. This trial reviewed 1244 patient cases, from 13 American spine clinics, over a period of four years. Each patient had at least a six-week history of a herniated disc in the lumbar spine, causing both back and leg pain. The patients either underwent a surgical procedure (standard open diskectomy), or a course of medications, home exercises and physical therapy.

After the four-year period, the patients who had the lumbar surgery were statistically happier, and better recovered, than those who did not. The surgical patients had better relief of pain (by about 15 points on a 100-point scale), greater physical functioning (also by about 15 points) and lesser disability (by about 13 points). Overall, 79.2% of the surgical patients, and 51.7% of the nonsurgical patients, reported major improvements in their condition. The benefits of surgery were seen as soon as six weeks after the surgical procedure, and were found to last through the four years of the study.