Does Arizona Workers’ Compensation Pay for On-the-Job Knee Injuries?

Yes, Arizona’s workers’ compensation insurance does pay for knee injuries that occur on the job. While one might focus more on feet, ankles, and legs, your knees are a vital part of stabilizing your balance while walking, climbing stairs, and more. If you have a knee injury at work, file a claim at once to get immediate help.

Alternatively, it may not take an accident to have problems with your knees, especially if you do repetitive work that strains your knees over time. Your knee cartilage may degenerate, or muscles become strained because of the wrong way of moving over a long period of time.

If you turn the wrong way while carrying a heavy object, your foot may stay in one place while your leg and knee continue to turn. This is especially true if you are wearing rubber-soled shoes on a cement floor which may cause you to “stick” in place.

FALLS AND SLIPS

Knee bone fractures are especially difficult to heal particularly if the injury occurs to the kneecap. You should ask your doctor if you have osteoporosis, a common bone problem that many people face when getting older. Check your bone density at each doctor’s visit to monitor any decrease in bone density over time which can also severely impact your spine and balance.

If you lose your balance and fall heavily forward onto your knee(s), you could crack your kneecap. Consider wearing knee pads to protect your knees. Make sure the pads are tight enough to avoid slipping around from side to side. Do not have them so tight, however, that the pads cut off leg circulation.

If you fall sideways and your knee slams to the floor on either side, your kneecap may move so far off its center that the ligaments/muscles are overstretched and cause a lot of pain. You might have inflammation or tendonitis. Both conditions require initial rest to alleviate pain along with a doctor’s visit as soon as possible to diagnose the situation.

After a period of rest, you can go through physical therapy to rebuild knee strength. Make sure you only work those exercises that you have been cleared to do while you are at home recuperating. Do not try to climb stairs if that is not what your therapist told you to do.

DEGENERATIVE INJURIES

As a person naturally ages, certain areas of the body lose flexibility and stretch. Cartilage can also degenerate for any number of reasons until it becomes painful to do certain actions. While most people dismiss minor aches and pains and plow through to carry on with work, do file a claim if your job is becoming physically harder to do. Then see a doctor to find out the problem and get a plan of action for fixing the problem.

Guard against letting painful issues continuing for any length of time. One way a person’s body deals with pain is moving in a compensating way to avoid feeling the pain. If the new way of moving goes on long enough, using an incorrect movement, you may incur other injuries of your body without realizing it.

CONCLUSION

No matter your age, if you are in very good health and physical shape, stay that way by following a regular routine of physical exercise. This can range from a full workout at a gym using supervision when needed or, at the very least, walking every day.

If you need help with filing your workers’ compensation claim, call our Workers’ Compensation Attorney (Phoenix) office for a free consultation. 602-346-9009.