Soft Tissue Injuries

Massachusetts Lawyers Helping Applicants for Workers’ Compensation

Soft tissue injuries are one of the most common types of workers’ compensation claims in Massachusetts, yet they are often complicated to prove. Unlike an immediate and apparent injury, such as a broken bone from a slip and fall, soft tissue injuries can occur in many situations and may be blamed on activities taking place outside of work as a way to avoid liability. At Kantrovitz & Associates, P.C., our workers’ compensation attorneys have advised many claimants throughout Massachusetts who are seeking benefits for their harm.

What Is a Soft Tissue Injury?

Soft tissue injuries involve the muscles, ligaments, and connective tissues of the body, as opposed to the bones. They are most commonly referred to as sprains, strains, or muscle tears. Common examples include repetitive stress strains, tendonitis, or back muscle injuries. Since soft tissue injuries can be acute and occur suddenly, or develop over time as a result of repetitive actions, they are common across a wide range of professions, including in manufacturing or warehouse industries and in office jobs.

Asserting Your Right to Benefits

In order for an individual to receive workers’ compensation, he or she must be able to show that the injury supporting the claim arose as a result of the job. In many situations, this is straightforward, such as when a worker is struck by a piece of equipment and experiences an immediate blow. However, soft tissue injuries often arise slowly and over time, as a result of chronic overuse or poor mechanical patterns. For this reason, employers and insurance companies often attempt to blame other activities for the rise of a soft tissue injury, or to show that the job was not the exclusive cause of the harm. Alternatively, since the severity of soft tissue injuries is also difficult to establish, employers may argue that the injury is not as severe as the worker suggests that it is and that certain medical care is not required in order to address the injury that the worker is experiencing.

In order to respond to these arguments, it is important that workers’ compensation applicants keep meticulous documentation of an injury, including when it first occurred, whether and how it worsened, and how it is affected by work. It is also important to seek medical attention and keep documentation of any medical visits in order to establish the severity of the injury. If the applicant can obtain medical statements from providers attesting to the likelihood that the injury resulted from work, that may be particularly helpful.

Benefits for accidents on the job can take different forms, depending on the duration and severity of the condition. Injured individuals may be able to receive permanent and total disability benefits if they will be unable to return to work, while partial or temporary and total benefits may be available for those who have a reduced working capacity or may be expected to return to work in the future. Benefits sometimes are paid in a lump sum, or they may be paid in installments over time.

Consult a Knowledgeable Attorney after a Workplace Accident in Massachusetts

An experienced workers’ compensation attorney can assist you in pulling together the necessary documentation to support a claim and can advise you on the types of medical tests or statements that will help to establish that an injury occurred on the job. If you are a Massachusetts resident who has experienced a soft tissue injury, the workplace accident lawyers at Kantrovitz & Associates, P.C., are available to assist you and can advocate aggressively for your right to compensation. Contact us at 800-367-0871 or online for a free consultation. We represent claimants throughout the Boston region and beyond, including in Suffolk, Norfolk, Plymouth, Essex, and Middlesex Counties.